Upstart Chinese Car Company BYD Releases Plug-In Hybrid. See What You Can Do With No Regulations?
China-based BYD has introduced a plug-in hybrid that can be plugged into a regular electrical outlet, and achieve sixty miles on one charge.
The BYD F3DM is the first mass-produced plug-in vehicle in the world. While the car will not be available in the United States until approximately 2011, according to an article on Bloomberg.com, the release of the vehicle provides a boost for the sagging vehicle market, and for the Chinese market in particular.
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Significantly, the vehicle can be powered at a specialized charging station to fifty percent battery capacity, in just ten minutes. In addition, the vehicle has a gas engine backup that can power the vehicle, as well as charge the battery, much like a conventional hybrid.
The F3DM will sell for approximately 149,800 yuan (the equivalent of about $22,000) according to the article. The vehicle faces stiff regulatory hurdles in the U.S market, which is probably the reason that GM, if it’s still around, might have a chance to beat the F3DM to the market with its own plug-in, the Chevy Volt.
A good indication of BYD’s increasing status in the car market: Warren Buffett recently invested about 230 million dollars.
Photo Credit: BYD
Source: Bloomberg
One of the other things that you can do when not hampered by US regulations is build cars that utilize methanol. The Chinese are way ahead of everybody else in getting methanol fueled vehicles into the market as well.
It’s not just the government regulations, though. They don’t have 2000 page UAW work rule contracts like the Big 3 to stifle innovation either. Detroit could probably compete, even with higher wages and retiree costs, if not for the work rules that have the effect of preventing workers from producing quality cars for 8 hours a day.
The very sad part is that our regulations really hurt consumers. Air bags cost $5 million per life saved, for example, see.
http://scragged.com/articles/government-dont-know-jack-regulation.aspx
I know a lot of people who are having trouble paying for cars because of vehicle inspection regulations. They can’t get to work without their car, and end up on welfare. A cheaper car would make a lot of people more employable, see:
http://scragged.com/articles/why-cant-we-have-a-cheap-car.aspx
I understand that it’s a fine car and ready for sale in China. The problem is that it runs on melamine and lead-based paint.
I think the Detriot Big 3 is using bankruptcy as a tactic to finish off the UAW. Think about it. They will idle production indefinitely, then proclaim bankrupcy. After all the workers are terminated, then they will re-open shop under “new management”. There will be a massive hiring spree, but the new wage scale will be like that of Schucks Auto Supply, or Discount Tires. Union will be barred permanently. The way the Big 3 played their hands as of late made the WAU looked like an organization of goons in front of the Congress. You think this was not planned?
We need a new car company here in the US. We have a lot of car companies in the 30s until GM start buying everyone. These big companies are just too big and fat to be agile and competitive. Let them go the way of the dinosaurs. We need new companies that are built to innovate and produce new products quickly.
This company is an example of what the Chinese have learned from us (capitalism) and then turned into something all their own, using the Chinese system of doing things.
Most of the workers live right there at the giant factory complex and the place is basically a city unto itself. Now WE wouldn’t want to live at work, would we? They don’t mind. In fact, they love the fact that their company has grown from nothing to 160,000 employees in some 16 years making and selling batteries. They are making everything in the car except the windshield and the tires, something NO U.S. company does.
I have to give credit where it is due. If I had some money, I’d invest in them WAY before I’d give GM any more of my “taxpayer funded bailout cash”