BYD to sell F3DM car to individual users in Sept

Shanghai, June 16 (Gasgoo.com) BYD Auto said yesterday that it has decided to sell its F3DM electric car to individual customers starting September this year, Beijing Times reported. Before that time, the F3DM sedan is sold only to corporate customers.

BYD Auto, a subsidiary of BYD Co, has started a nationwide marketing tour to promote its plug-in hybrid F3DM sedan. BYD's F3DM (dual mode) compact sedan is a plug-in hybrid that uses the company's lithium-ion batteries as well as power from charging stations or power outlets.

The BYD F3DM vehicle is the world's first new-energy car model that doesn't reply on the professional charging station for power. The electric mode can make the BYD sedan run 100km/h, with a peak of 160km/h. The car can be recharged 50% in 10 minutes at BYD's charging station, and 100% in nine hours by a household power outlet.

Corporate users were targeted in F3DM's preliminary sales plan, since they were not affected by the vehicle's high price, which is equivalent to US$21,917. An expected stream of group orders did not materialize following the car's initial promotion.

BYD is expected to reduce costs by producing a larger number of dual-mode vehicles that could make it competitive for individual buyers.