BYD F3DM approved for production and sale

Shanghai, November 26, 2008: (Gasgoo.com) BYD's electric and hybrid model F3DM has been approved to be mass produced and go on sale, Beijing Times said, citing an announcement by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) - the state regulator of China's auto industry.

BYD says the F3DM will have a 109 km all-electric range with an auxiliary engine to allow operation in the hybrid mode. DM stands for Dual Mode, referring to the combination of an electric drive system and a hybrid system. The entire Dual Mode system was developed in-house by BYD, which is a major global manufacturer of batteries.

The powertrain combines a 1.0-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor generating 300 lb-feet of torque. The car can even be run exclusively on the electrical motor for up to 100km before it needs to be recharged, which BYD says makes the F3 DM a "zero-emission" vehicle. The cost of electric charging is also much cheaper than that of gasoline, BYD claimed.

According to MIIT, 14 domestic cities will have F3DM on sale first, including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, and some other cities.

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