BYD E6 EV

Which four door sedan can accelerate from zero to 60 in only 14 seconds, has a top speed of 100 mph, and a range of 250 miles on a single charge? No, not the Tesla. It's called the E6, by BYD, a Chinese manufacturer. Although back in May, 2010, this automaker announced with no little fanfare that they were setting up shop in California, in recent months they have remained very quiet.

Apparently they have decided to delay the launch of their brand new, all-electric sedan after realizing that they weren't quite ready for the US market.

Nevertheless, we expect to see this Chinese-manufactured electric car eventually challenging both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt.

Although they claim to be painfully conscious that breaking into the demanding United States auto market will not be a walk in the park, this not so tiny automobile manufacturer – a company that boasts the backing of the great Warren Buffett – confessed that their sales decreased substantially in March of this year. They were previously known for manufacturing China's top selling automobile, a gas model known as the F6.

In May of last year, they announced that they were teaming up with Daimler to jointly create an all-electric vehicle geared toward consumers in China. A joint venture contract was officially signed in Beijing, launching the Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd. It was recently leaked that the Chinese government has officially sanctioned the development of this Chinese electric car.

They expect to release their 2012 BYD E6 sport model for direct sales in limited US markets sometime before the close of 2011.

Twice the Range of the Leaf for Only a Fraction More of the Cost

The E6 will sell in the neighborhood of $35,000. This is only about two thousand dollars more than the price of this year's starring compact hatchback, the Nissan Leaf, which sells at just under $33,000. It also beats the $41,000 price tag of the Chevrolet Volt hands down.

Even more importantly, this BYD auto is rumored to have a range of least two hundred miles, and maybe even more, from a single charge. The lithium-ion battery pack packs a whopping 60 kilowatt hour punch – two and a half times the energy of the Leaf's battery, giving this EV twice the Leaf's distance range. Even Ford's planned 2012 long-distance Focus electric vehicles are only projected to be able to attain about 100 miles per charge, putting the advantage squarely in the court of the E6s.

These electric cars will recharge at a normal rate of about eight hours with a typical recharging configuration. A higher-capacity charger is also being offered that will cut the recharge time for these electric cars down to only about three hours. Additionally, fast-charge stations are being idealized where they will be able to power up to half capacity in a mere ten minutes for a range of 120 miles. The Ford's Focus electric car will have a much faster charging time.

Double the Power of Its Homegrown Sibling

Much like the gas-powered Ford Edge, this BYD auto will be a five passenger crossover vehicle. Although China's version of this same vehicle manages to get by on a mere 75 kilowatt hour battery pack, the US version boasts more than twice that. Its horsepower has been estimated to be at least 100 at minimum power and around 270 when fully charged. This power will enable it to hit 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just eight seconds. It will have a top speed of around 100 miles per hour.

It is this deep understanding of the needs of the US market that this Asian car manufacturer plans to use to become the first Chinese automaker to master car sales in the US. Keep your eyes open for the experimental fleet of electric vehicles they have already unleashed on the streets of Los Angeles, the city in which they have firmly planted their headquarters.

Additional Models

Further plans are in place to release a second BYD auto on US soil in 2013. This new EV, a clever variation of their most successful homegrown model, a gas-powered sedan known as the F3, will be a plug-in hybrid. Some have already likened the original version of the F3 to one of the automobile world's most successful cars, the Toyota Corolla, and with this additional hybrid hype, the F3DM is almost sure to be a success in the US.

The F3DM gained worldwide fame with its overseas release in late 2008 as the world's first production plug-in hybrid. Unfortunately for its parent company, sales of this model started out low. Many local auto critics initially gave it low ratings for its various engine transition and design flaws.

Keep up to date on all the latest in the world of electric cars right here with reviews, previews, and lots of photos.