Chrysler, Ford and Other Automakers Unveil Plans for Electric Vehicles

(Page 2 of 2)

Jan. 14, 2009
From EERE Network News 
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By then, it might be competing with China's BYD Auto, which recently began selling a range-extended electric vehicle in China called the F3DM. The F3DM, a mid-size sedan, has an all-electric range of 62 miles and a top speed of 93 miles per hour. BYD is exhibiting its vehicles in Detroit for the second year in a row, and along with the F3DM, the company is also exhibiting an all-electric crossover vehicle with a range of 249 miles, a larger version of the F3DM, a version with a continuously variable transmission, and a compact vehicle. With financial backing from Warren Buffet, BYD plans to introduce its cars in Europe and Israel in 2010, and in North America sometime later.

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A nearer-term competitor in the North American market is Toyota, which plans to deliver 500 Prius plug-in hybrids to global fleets later this year, including 150 in the United States. The lithium-ion batteries for the vehicles will be built at Panasonic EV Energy, a joint venture of Toyota and the Matsushita Group. In Detroit, Toyota is displaying a small electric-only concept vehicle for urban commuters, the FT-EV. Although the company plans to launch such a vehicle by 2012, its primary emphasis is still on hybrid vehicles.

Other overseas participants in the Detroit Auto Show include Mercedes-Benz, which is exhibiting three versions of a small concept car: an all-electric version, a range-extended version and a fuel cell version. Mercedes-Benz isn't announcing any commercialization plans, but its sister company, Smart, is planning to launch an electric-drive version of the Smart Fortwo by the end of the year. The vehicle is on display in Detroit, but Smart hasn't decided whether to market the lithium-ion-powered vehicle in the United States. Even Johnson Controls is exhibiting a plug-in hybrid concept called the re3, which embodies the technologies the company can offer to automakers. Johnson Controls is producing lithium-ion hybrid vehicle batteries in France under a joint venture with Saft.

The North American International Auto Show opens to the public on Saturday and continues through Jan. 25. See the NAIAS website for more information.

Reprinted from EERE Network News, a free newsletter of the U.S. Department of Energy.
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