BYD approved to produce all-electric car e6

Shanghai, January 19 (Gasgoo.com) China's electrical car producer BYD Auto said yesterday that it has won regulatory approval to make its first all-electric car e6 in the country, Shanghai Daily reported.

BYD, backed by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffet, will sell the plug-in e6 sedan in the domestic market in the first half of this year for about 300,000 yuan ($43,988), mainly supplying government agencies, public services and taxi fleets.

The Chinese automaker also plans to sell the e6 in the United States at the end of this year with a price tag of about $40,000. The car was showcased at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit starting last week.

BYD said the e6 is powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery. The car promises a battery-only range of 330 kilometers on a single charge. The battery can be charged to 50% of capacity in 10 minutes, and fully charged in 60 minutes.

Clean-energy vehicles are becoming an industry trend in China as the government and consumers seek ways to reduce emissions. Demand for such vehicles has prompted carmakers to increase investment in the sector.

Besides BYD's e6, the new-energy vehicles the Chinese government has recently approved included Dongfeng's Fengshen S30 and Changan's Zhixiang.