The world’s first production plug-in car looks all set to take to the road in December and the distinction will go to BYD’s 1 F3DM hybrid sedan.
The Chinese company is expected to release the car by December 15 in the mainland and overseas (US and North America) by either 2010 or 2011, just in time to go head-to-head with the Chevy Volt. It is expected to launch in 14 cities in China with a retail price of $22,000.
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Capable of running both on complete electricity and a gas-electric combo, the F3DM can power through an impressive 100 km using nothing but electric energy. It uses 12 kwH per 100 kilometers on hybrid mode and can travel up to 300 km. It restores to a full charge within nine hours on a standard 110 volt outlet and up to 50% within 10 minutes if you’re in a hurry. It has a top speed of 93 mph and can run up from 0 to 100 in 13.5 seconds.
While BYD is certainly on the way up - Warren Buffet’s company has invested over $230 million into the company and they are currently in talks with Portland, Oregon officials to establish a US base - the probability of bringing F3DM to American shores is still a question mark. Chinese import vehicles are notorious for badly failing US emission and safety standards with BYD’s line of vehicles included.
Regardless of whether they make it to US soil on schedule, the F3DM will set the first bar for plug-in hybrids the world over.
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[...] the world’s only crash-tested, fully-certified and highway-approved electric car. Even BYD’s upcoming F3DM , due for release in China this December, is unlikely to make international roads yet due to safety [...]
[...] the world’s only crash-tested, fully-certified and highway-approved electric car. Even BYD’s upcoming F3DM , due for release in China this December, is unlikely to make international roads yet due to safety [...]
[...] world’s first plug-in electric hybrid to go into mass production is a go! BYD’s F3DM hybrid sedan has finally received approval for sale and distribution last November [...]