BYD F3DM - From China with love. Series Hybrid Petrol/Electric.

BYD F3DM

Made in China - Three little words proudly emblazoned on many of our white goods & computers may soon be seen on the west's smooth capitalist road network. Shenzhen is home to BYD and a busy Chinese port, close to Hong Kong.  The company manufactures items as diverse as cars, buses, batteries and solar panels; American entrepreneur Warren Buffett bought a 10-percent stake in 2008. 

Plans to launch the car stateside were announced in 2011 at the Detroit Auto Show, at some point in 2012. BYD has some cars in California already. The Los Angeles Housing Authority is using  F3DM sedans. Its CEO, Rudolf Monteil, said the department has saved 73 percent in fuel costs. 

The F3DM is a hybrid vehicle with a range of 38 miles in electric-only operation and 313 miles with it's 1.0-liter 3 Cylinder petrol/gas engine kicking in either as a series hybrid to charge the batteries or in parallel with the electric motor to help propel the vehicle (DM stands for “dual mode”).

The battery technology is different to most similar vehicles in that, as almost everyone else is using lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride, BYD is using iron phosphate batteries – no heavy metals and cheaper to produce, giving BYD an ability to offer 'greener', afordable transportation. Expected to cost around $21,000 in the US

The Los Angeles fleet of F3DM's have roof-mounted solar panel's to assist battery recharging. 

Renault Twizy ZE (Zero Emissions) - Electric 2 seater

Renault Twizy

Renault have a vision of the future, and we've all seen concept cars similar to the Twizy before, but this one is being made! It has a tall, narrow stance, open sides and seats two people, but will the Twizy start a trend towards this type of commuter mobility vehicle that combine the safety and confidence of a car with the convenience and cost of a scooter?

Fitted with a 17bhp electric motor, which should give a top speed of around 50mph, and frisky linear acceleration, that comes with an electric motor. Charging the battery – which takes around three and a half hours – gives a range of up to 62 miles, and its low weight and centre of gravity promise safe, stable cornering.

Both models – £6,690 for the Urban and the £7,400 Technic – have as standard equipment, an immobilizer, driver’s airbag, a four-point seatbelt for the driver and a three-point seatbelt for the passenger. The more expensive Technic version gains alloy wheels, metallic paint & half doors to reduce the spray coming into the cabin space! Bluetooth connectivity and rear parking sensors are optional.  A huge range of colours and 'fun' graphics are available to help customers personalise their Twizy.

In addition to the purchase price, Renault will charge you for the lease of the batteries - £40 per month over a period of 36 months. The idea being that Renault owns the expensive batteries so the owner of the vehicle doesn’t need to worry about their replacement or the prospect of a scrap vehicle if they fail.

Due to hit the roads in spring 2012, a £20 deposit can be paid now to reserve your Twizy via www.renault-ze.com 

Sim-Lei - Electric Car

The Sim-Lei has an extremely efficient body design

With its 24.9 kWh lithium-ion batteries made by Toshiba, the SIM-LEI achieves a travelling distance of 333km on a single battery charge in the Japanese JC08 testing mode (simulating mainly city driving) as well as 305km at a constant 100km/h cruising. When compared to the Nissan Leaf electric car that has a range of 200km in JC08 mode with its 24kWh battery, the SIM-LEI’s energy efficiency is about 1.5 times better than the Leaf. Impressive if....errrmmm weird looking.