Private purchase of BYD e6 delayed due to insufficient infrastructure

Shanghai November 4 (Gasgoo.com) BYD Co. may postpone private purchase of its pure electric car, the e6, until next June due to insufficient infrastructure in China, the Oriental Morning Post reported Thursday, citing a company insider.

The Chinese automaker was intended to start selling its e6 electric car in the consumer market in June this year, and denied it has problems with the technology.

A person in charge of Public Relations for BYD said yesterday 50 of the company's e6 cars are currently serving as taxis in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen and performing very well, stressing that there is no problem at all in private purchase.

Moreover, a relevant person in charge at BYD said it would still take a while to build supporting facilities, which cannot be in total control of BYD. An extensive cooperation and support is needed instead, particularly the all-electric vehicles that rely more on the charging stations. Lacking in infrastructure will seriously inconvenient users, the person added.

To launch a pure electric car before completion of the infrastructure may kill consumers' enthusiasm for electric cars because of the inconvenience when charging the cars. BYD is thus considering launch the e6 car after the infrastructure is mature.

BYD's F3DM plug-in hybrid (PHEV), however, has a very good performance in the domestic market. Xu An, general manager of BYD's PR department told reporters yesterday that the company has sold nearly 300 units of the car, with 117 units sold in September.