Chinese company rolls out new hybrid auto

[charlie]

It takes gumption to launch a new hybrid in this market and BYD (Build Your Dream Co) seems to have no shortage of gumption -- it's only been in existence for 13 years. It's a battery maker that got into the car business in 2003. They initially used Mitsubishi engines, but are already making their own. They plan to debut their cars in the US in 2011.

And Warren Buffet invested close to a quarter billion dollars for a 10% stake in September.


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chinacar13-2008dec13,0,1669363.story
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/01/byd-auto-introd.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7779261.stm

[SoCalDem]

1. "...has a lifetime of 2,000 cycles..."

how much does a new battery cost? How many miles does 2000cycles equal?

The article did not elaborate..

this might be a Vega-esque vehicle if the replacement battery costs too much..

[Gregorian]

3. 2000 cycles is about 150,000 miles

If it runs out of battery around 80 miles, as I think I read, then that's about right.

Nope, we've let the world pass us by. Teachers weren't valuable. Education wasn't valuable. Manufacturing wasn't valuable. Now we're heading down the same road as England. I saw this coming in the early 80's. It was already obvious.

HA! I see you still hang out at b3ta. Yay. I was just blabbing with Earl Otterby this morning.

[charlie]

5. I don't really know

But 2000 cycles sounds servicable from what I've read. Here's a chart of general lifetime cycles (NiMH is what the Prius uses):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rechargeable_battery#Table_of_rechargeable_battery_technologies

Much of a battery's life depends on how the charge/recharge cycles are handled. If this company builds in technology to optimize battery use (and they ARE a battery company at root), then this car might be something to be reckoned with. Then again, a successful, reliable car is much more than just its powertrain, so we can only wait and see.

[Gregorian]

2. Oh dear. That's us left in the dust.

Their factory is only a year old.

Congress was so resistant to giving them money. Having said that, this is exactly where our big money should have gone. This is where the return on our money would come from. I think big money realizes our time is over. I'm sorry to say that. We let our students graduate with little. We paid our teachers little. And we're going to let the world pass us by. I knew this was happening, as far back as the early 80s. You'd have had to have your eyes closed to not have seen it coming.

I'd like to think we could compete with these kinds of companies. But it's obvious we aren't able. I wonder if Soros invested in Tesla.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. My Chinese penpal's father works in that factory.

She's now studying English at one of the local universities with ambitions to become a translator at the same firm.