Auto Shanghai 2011: SAIC set for an EV assault

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai April 6) - With one of the Asia’s largest automobile exhibition to open in its home city, SAIC Motor will be using of all its resources to leave an unforgettable impression among attendees–and one of the best ways to go about that is to ride on the new energy vehicle craze that is making waves through the automobile industry. Lets take a look at three of the new energy vehicles SAIC is looking to showcase.

The Roewe 550 plug-in hybrid electric is based on the commercial 550, a testament to Anglo-Chinese collaboration. The hybrid boasts fuels savings of over 50 percent, fully compliant with the national vehicle emissions standard V. The 550 hybrid is set to be produced next year.

SAIC’s Roewe 350 pure electric is similarly based on the production 350, and will make use of a lithium iron phosphate battery system for zero-emission power. The car has two variable charging methods suited for both EV charging stations (taking slightly over half an hour to fully charge) and home power sources (six to eight hours to charge).

The E1 pure electric concept carries the honor of being the only electric vehicle featured in the China pavilion of last year’s Shanghai World Expo. The E1 is also powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery system, boasting maximum speed of 120 km/h, 0-100 km acceleration of 16 seconds, and total driving distance on one charge of 150 km.