BYD e6

Chinese rechargeable battery and electric car company BYD showed its electric five-seater MPV/crossover, e6, at the March 2010 Geneva car show, ahead of its expected launch later in 2010.

BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, are a world leader in mobile phone batteries. Such is the importance of battery technology in electric cars that it was a relatively short step for BYD to extend its core expertise into the manufacture of  entire electric vehicles. The e6 will be powered by the company’s Fe lithium-ion phosphate providing a range of 205 miles – well in excess of the range of other electric cars that are waiting in the wings. 

The e6 has one motor on the front axle and a second at the rear – again, innovative technology – which has not escaped the notice of European vehicle manufacturer Daimler. The two companies announced in March 2010 a joint project to develop an electric car aimed at the Chinese market. They will build a technology centre in China to design and engineer a new four-door electric family car that will accelerate the growth of electric mobility in this potentially lucrative segment of the market.