China's first PHEV went on sale this morning.

China, Japan, the U.S.A. all follow(ed) the same industrial development & collateral issues. Coal, black lung, better healthcare. First you get the cheapest thing up and running, then you find you must do better. China, developing last, is just now facing our 1960's 1970's 1980's issues. Last time in the far east, my thought was that the chinese cars seemed chincy ... thin, light, lacking safety equipment such as crumple zones / air bags. Being lighter made, I'm guessing that's why their EV range is so decent. Even so, it feels like the U.S. has just been sputnik'ed ... again. Only this time, I don't see the U.S. in a panic about it, as we were 4 or 5 decades ago. Seems as though we've determined that the U.S. financial destruction isn't nearly so bad as getting nuke'd ... or put another way, you can take us out, just as long as you do it one brick at a time.

 

Thanks for the pics efusco,

What I can see from the cutaway is that they've hidden those 13 kWh of batteries very well indeed - that's 10 times the storage of the Prius battery, but where have they put it????

 

The noise might be a good thing...here in the states some politicians want to mandate EV vehicles to make noise

 

It looks they use one hundred 3.3V 60Ah batteries, total approx 20kWh.
Battery im BYD F3 DM

The batteries are stored on the floor.
Please view the video selecting "精彩下載" menu at the bottom of following site.
BYD DM information

Ken@Japan

 

It's nice to see the '03-'08 Corolla molds & sheetmetal reused to make these. Easy way to meet existing safety criteria. The prev. Corolla was a great car. If this thing is even half as good as it sounds, WATCHOUT WORLD!

 

The above explanation seems very strange to me.
Why does it need 50kW engine to charge only the 25kW M1 generator?
What's are differences between "Maximum power" and "total output power"?
Are you saying the M1 generates 25kW electric power and 25kW drive power simultaneously when supplying 125kW totoal power?

My understanding is it has three driving modes;

• Full battery-powered EV mode; 50kW(M2), or maybe 25kW+50kW
• Series-hybrid mode, in which an engine drives a generator as a range-extender; 25kW(M1) generator and 50kW(M2) drive motor
• Parallel hybrid mode, in which the engine and motor both provide propulsive power. 50kW engine and 50kW(M2), maybe plus 25kW(M1)

Green Car Congress: BYD F3DM Plug-in Hybrid Goes On Sale in China

Ken@Japan

 

After viewing the web site and the video, here are some of the observations.

1. Claimed Li Iron battery is cheaper.
2. Claimed battery life: 2000 cycles
10 years life (shelf live of LiIon battery is 10 years)
600,000km/ 372,000miles
3. 100km/62miles range.
4. Home charging at 220V 10A for 7 hours.
5. Dual mode EV and HEV.
6. Claimed battery failure rate less than 1%, otherwise it is a 100% failure if more than 1%.
7. Atkinson cycle ICE
8. Solar panel for recharging.
9. It appears the motors are direct air cooled with a large fan.
10. The drive train pictures are cleverly disguising the power split device, aka HSD. In the series mode, the psd is not shown, but in power assist mode a psd magically appears but virtually connected to the output drive gear. I believe it is a dual clutch system to connect the ICE to the drive wheel. Total power to wheel is 50kW(MG2)+50kW(ICE) assuming all the ICE power goes to wheel.
Hm, did they take out a license from Toyota?

 

It is a dual clutch system.
If the battery can supply 75kW, the total power will be 125kW.

Ken@Japan

 

While prius and volt camps are arguing about Parallel Vs Series hybrids, it seems BYD has brought out something that works both ways and better. If it is as good as it sounds, every car company including toyota should watch out.

 

You can only import it as a show car or race car, i.e. cannot drive it on public road becasue it has not pass US crash test and emission standard.
Even Bill Gate cannot get his 959 Porsche legal to drive with his billions.

 

In law, I have found that many rules & reg's are built in such a way that the exceptions, virtually swallow the rule. Take car imports for example. If you can get the manufacturer to ship is as a kit, you're good to go. The kit btw doesn't have to be taken apart down to the bearings, either. EV kits avoid EPA problems that ICE kits can't. Both Ice & EV kits avoid crash tests. Have you ever seen the Tango?

It, like the Tesla, seats two (tandom). It's a kit car. I believe it's around $80k - $100k. Fwiw, it'll beat the Tesla in the 1/4 mile. Not much remains to be assembled, either. This way, costs are down because not only do they skip some assembly, they avoid tons of crash test costs. So if you don't mind a car from China, w/out airbags, crumple zones, or who knows what else (my mind wanders off, imagining a solid drive line, punching thru your chest) etc ... I'm sure it's got at least a padded dash under that lead paint

 

Hello jhinton... I can see how my post was not clear... What I meant to say was that when China sets their mind on a goal, they just get it done. They seem to very effectively pool all their resources and energy towards accomplishing the goal, whereas over here, it seems like we just trip each other up with bureaucracy, politics and other stall tactics, which rightfully include debates on various things. However, it seems to me that China resolves the issues much more expediently.

My reference to the Olympics was really about the grandness of it... so many people orchestrated together to complete this massive building of facilities, not to mention the thousands (15,000 I think they said) involved with the opening and closing ceremonies, choreographed down to the minutest of details. Something like that has never been seen on that scale in the world, and China impressively got it done.

Sorry for not being clear. I agree about the pollution from coal mines. I hope they make up their mind to be the first to get that cleaned up and maybe even set their mind on effectively harnessing renewables. If they do, watch out world for sure.

 

I'd imagine you could buy one in China and have it shipped over here. Of course you'd have to pay all the tariffs and other taxes as well.

I once considered buying the hybrid Estima from Japan (right-hand drive and all). It's doable but too expensive, all things considered.

 

On the federal level you cannot legal import a vehicle for use on public roads without proving that it meets federal safety and emissions requirements. Zap Motors was doing this with 1st Generation Smart ForTwo's and there are cottage industries devoted to getting grey imports legal. (These are mostly very expensive sports cars)

As others have said, you can go the "kit car" route and get around the federal regulations. I really depends on your state regulations. Look up your states requirements for a home built or kit vehicle. If it meets those requirements then you can register the vehicle.

The problem is getting the car into the US. If you are honest and label the shipment as a vehicle you will not get it past customs. Generally you can import a vehicle as a kit or parts as long as the engine and drivetrain is not in the vehicle. When I was researching Smart diesels I found a guy who had gone this route. He bought a car in Canada, flew to Canada, disassembled his new Smart, and crated the parts. He then imported the car into the US legally as automotive parts. Back home he assembled the car again and registered it as a kit car. It will be expensive to ship too. It cost my company about $6000 to get a 20 foot container of gearboxes shipped from China to the west coast.

I have had some experience importing vehicles into the US with companies I have worked for. I've imported lawn mowers, utility tractors, motorcycles, and ATV's. These were all for testing. When these shipments hit customs they were flagged and held. I would then have to certify the emission status of the vehicle. We certified them as non-compliant test units bought in for scientific testing. I had to swear that they would never be used outside of our test facility and that they would be destroyed or exported at the end of testing. The custom fees were about 20% of the value. I have no idea what they are for cars.

I've also been involved in emissions certification with CARB and the EPA. It cost my company $125,000 to have a lab doing the emission testing required for CARB and EPA. That was for dyno and shed testing an off-road utility vehicle that passed on the first go.

 

The official examining the Smart Diesel probably doesn't know what it is, a knowledgeable examiner will not let it register.

 

+1 on jhinton's comments re: importing the vehicle as a kit.

Here what I said in an earlier post this year:

You could bring over a significant part of the vehicle as a kit car. To do so
you have to remove the engine and drive train. Once in the USofA you
install an in-country drive train. You are the importer -- hire a customs
agent.

You become the vehicle builder and you have to prove that the vehicle
meets all applicable EPA and NHTSA requirements (who dat? Nat'l
Highway Traffic Safety Admin.) applicable to the year of the engine
manufacture to whoever the approving authority is in your state -- in VA
it's the Highway Patrol, a fun bunch of fellows to deal with. You even get
special VINs. Of course you have to grind off the old one's. Good luck on
subsequent resale. In this world, the word "warranty" simply doesn't
exist.

BTW, if US customs has a problem with your "kit" at the port/time of entry
you will be given about 7 days to do 1 of 2 things: get it out of the counrty,
or send it to the crusher --pictures and a certificate required as proof. There
are no other options.

25 years ago this wasn't a big deal, I did it.

If my one-time experience is any guide, the sticking point is where are
you going to find a BYD drive train, which probably includes all the various
ECUs and CPUs, that has preceeded the "kit" into the country?

[Edit] Since I made that earlier post, I've remembered that if your "kit"
goes to the crusher, a Customs officer has to be in attendance, and you
have to pay a users fee for his time. You'd be crying like a baby, and he'd
be standing there smiling like a baby. Sweet, huh?

 

More pics if you have not seen.