By Yang Yangteng
On June 12, BYD Company Limited delivered 10 sets of F3DM new energy autos to the government of Shenzhen city. As an enterprise with lofty ideal to develop national auto industry, BYD has always been watching closely the electric autos that represent international environmental-friendly trend and industrial orientation since its establishment, and over several years' persistent study and innovation, finally, on December 15, 2008, BYD launched the first dual-mode electric auto F3DM all over the world, which is independent to charging power supply and developed a new world for the development of China's new energy autos.
Wang Chuanfu, President of BYD Company Limited, told the reporter that after marching into the auto industry, BYD took the road of independent development in R&D, production and brands and spared no effort to forge world-class independent auto brands, thus, a rapid development had been realized and a good performance had been achieved. Facing the international financial crisis, BYD seize opportunities and expedite development driven by the government's favorable policies, and a prosperous development situation came to light both in production and sale.
Supported by the government's favorable policies, such as "Autos going to the countryside", "New replacing old" and halving the purchase tax on 1.6-liter below autos, BYD is full of confidence. Wang Chuanfu expressed that it was expected that the sales revenue of BYD would reach RMB80 billion yuan this year.
BYD was set up in 1995 and its predecessor was a battery manufacture enterprise. Over only several years, it had become a global leading secondary battery manufacturer from an unknown factory. However, the goal of BYD's initiator Wang Chuangfu is to develop electric autos. Wang Chuanfu believes that under the background of short energy sources and strengthened environmental-friendly sense worldwide, electric autos represent international trend and the development orientation of auto industry in the future.
In fact, such developed countries as U.S. and Japan have always been injecting huge investment in the research of electric autos and have launched some auto types, but the main function of battery units and electric power is to enable gasoil engine to keep the best and most fuel-efficient operational state for a long time. It is believed universally that electric autos are provided with such limitations as short endurance mileage and long recharging time.
Since involved in battery industry, BYD has accumulated plenty of technical patents, and after realizing breakthrough in terms of battery manufacture scale and scientific technology, the company began to launch into the auto field. Since 1996, BYD has commenced researching and developing the battery for electric autos. In the end of 2002, BYD official established a project department for electric autos, starting the project of researching and developing pure electric autos. In 2003, BYD officially purchased Xi`an Qinchuan Automobile Co., Ltd. and began to enter into the field of auto manufacture and sale. Till now, BYD has reached the international leading standards in many aspects, such as complete auto manufacture, mould R&D and auto type development and the industrial pattern has been perfected increasingly. Moreover, BYD has rapidly developed as one of China's brands with innovation capability. Its auto products include the fuel car with varied high, mid and low-grade series, auto moulds, auto parts and components, dual-mode electric autos and pure electric autos.
Since the beginning of establishment, BYD has been attaching great importance to independent innovation and the protection of intellectual property right (IPR). In 2000, BYD initiated a scientific and technological innovation project taking IPR as the precondition, and set up IPR and law department. Up to now, BYD has applied and obtained 6000-odd authorized patents in China and 500-odd patents overseas.
Last December 15 is a day that BYD is worth celebrating. Through five years' research and development, BYD F3DM dual-mode electric auto, the globally first-type new energy auto, which is independent to special charging station, debuted in the market officially after being approved by related national departments, which symboled BYD's success in the electric auto project. A F3DM dual-mode electric auto is equipped with a BYD371QA full-aluminum engine, whose power per liter reaches 50kw, plus a 75kw electric motor, the total output power of a F3DM dual-mode electric auto reaches 125kw, which is equal to the power output of a 3.0-liter engine.
Under the pure electric mode, the F3DM dual-mode electric auto achieves the longest endurance mileage of 100km with the maximum speed of 150km per hour worldwide, and the total endurance mileage can reach over 500km when fuel and electricity are fully recharged once. BYD's such electric auto is equipped with advanced dual-mode (DM) system, which enables the auto to switch between pure electric mode and hybrid power mode freely.
Wang Chuanfu told the reporter that the core technology to develop new energy autos is power battery. BYD's LiFePO4 battery has met the requirements of low cost, high capacity and high safety, and such a technology has applied 22 national patents. Compared with traditional autos, electric autos are provided with unexampled advantages in economic performance and environmental-friendly performance. In terms of the economic performance of fuel, the power consumption of a F3DM dual-mode electric auto is only 16kwh per one hundred kilometer under the pure electric state, making a calculation on the basis of RMB0.6 yuan per kwh, to drive 100 km will spend about RMB9.6 yuan, which is about a quarter of the cost of fuel consumption.
Since last year, BYD as a holder of the core technology of electric auto has started to be noticed and recognized by international capital market. Last September 27, Warren Buffet, the internationally well-known investor, purchased 10 percent of BYD's shares with HK$1.8 billion.
As introduced, for the moment, BYD F3DM dual-mode electric autos are selling to group clients. This year, propaganda and promotion activities will be implemented nationwide, and Shenzhen Auto Expo will be its first station. By the end of this year, the promotion for autos coming into the market of other cities of China will be conducted, and it is expected that BYD F3DM will be sold to individual consumers this September. BYD electric autos are also intended to launch into North American market next year, and presently, the construction of relative channels and network has been unfolded.
In addition, the auto manufacturers at home and abroad have also begun to contact with BYD for the sake of cooperation with BYD in the fields of hybrid power and lithium battery-driven electric autos.
