BYD will not build the all electric F3e shown at the 2006 Beijing motor show due to the lack of electric car infrastructure in China, gasgoo.com reported, citing China Business News.
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Wang Jianjun, deputy general manager of BYD Automotive Sales, said the Shenzhen-based automaker was initially engaged in development of all-electric vehicles, but changed its mind after a market investigation and consultation with the dealers as everyone thought there were still problems with the supporting infrastructure and market environment at the moment and what the company needed were transitional products. It therefore created the F3DM, a plug-in hybrid compact sedan.
BYD, backed by US billionaire Warren Buffett, also established three charging stations as part of a pilot programme in Shenzhen in 2007. Xia Zhibin, general manager of BYD Automotive Sales, said then commercial production of the F3E would be achieved in three years and the price would be controlled below CNY150,000 (US$22,400).
The BYD F3DM was launched first in December 2008 and the F3e was abandoned. Wang said was not feasible to extensively promote all electric vehicles before the supporting infrastructure is established in the country. BYD has therefore shifted focus from all-electric vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles, and from private transport to urban public transport.
Additionally, Shenzhen will build 7,500 charging points for all kinds of new energy vehicles at the end of this year, and 12,750 by 2012, Wang said.
The Chinese government will grant subsidies to individual buyers of new energy vehicles in 12 more pilot cities, Zhang Laiwu, vice president of the ministry of science and technology (MST), said earlier. He added that the subsidies, being implemented in 13 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Wuhan, will be provided for vehicle purchases in the public sector for now and gradually be extended to the private sector.
