People, here’s a story that could alter the landscape for non-traditional automobiles — a plug-in hybrid from BYD that has a claimed total range of 1,305 miles. According to Autoblog, the latest versions of the BYD Qin L and Seal 06 sedans feature the Chinese automaker’s latest plug-in hybrid technology. With a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas, the technology can provide a driving range of 2,100 kilometers (1,305 miles), according to BYD chair Wang Chuanfu. The company’s PHEV technology, now in its fifth generation, achieves a record low fuel consumption of 2.9 liters per 100 km (62.1 miles), even after the batteries have been depleted. Google says that translates to 0.776 gallons. Divide that into 62 miles and you get a fairly astonishing figure of 80 miles per gallon. Wow!
Yahoo also ran the numbers and came up with 80 mpg, so that seems to confirm my calculations. If so, this is a very impressive achievement by BYD. We do not know what standard is used […]
It is a shame that Americans will not be permitted to purchase this vehicle. The Federal Government will impose tariffs so high as to make an affordable electric vehicle unaffordable. Elon Musk must be overjoyed to have an ally so powerful. As Americans we extol Capitalism and the virtues of competition. The dirty truth, however, is that our Capitalist class hates competition in all its forms and works hard against it. It’s why we have high market concentration, and where three or four corporations control overwhelming shares of the markets in many fields: Internet access, Food distribution, meat and poultry production, Pharmaceuticals, Health Insurance, and needless to say the least competitive market – politics. It’s why Americans pay higher prices, have fewer choices, and worse outcomes than other countries around the globe.