BYD Europe B.V., of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a subsidiary of the Chinese battery and car manufacturer BYD, is co-operating with the Essen-based utility RWE in the fields of electric vehicles and charging facilities from now on. Contracts for this purpose have been signed in the past few days. BYD and RWE are planning to take new initiatives for CO2-free electric mobility in Europe.
The companies have agreed to offer package deals for their European clients, consisting of BYD's electric vehicles and RWE's fast charging posts and eco-electricity. 2012 will mark the start of test markets. That will also be market launch year of the both BYD's series models, the F3DM and the e6, in some selected European countries. A joint fleet trial is planned in Germany beforehand, in 2011.
The F3DM plug-in hybrid has already been marketed to end-customers in China since March 2010. Its endurance is 60-100 kilometers depending on different drive conditions, while running on electricity alone. The e6, by contrast, is a pure electric vehicle with battery range of around 300 kilometers. An e6 accelerates from 0 - 100 km/h in ten seconds. The model is also designed for fast charging and can accommodate a maximum charge input of around 100 kW. That means a full charge takes about less than one hour.
In addition to their joint sales activities, both companies have decided on close co-operation in the important field of international standardization. Together, they are going to pursue the setting of standards for alternating and direct-current charging infrastructure in Europe and China.
Yongping Chen, BYD Auto Europe Manager, comments: "BYD would like to bring its electric vehicles to Europe, and will start selling such EVs around 2012 in some selected countries where the governments have clear targets/incentive policies for CO2 emission reduction and where the charging infrastructure is (or will be) available.”
Two demo vehicles are on display at RWE's Berlin Roadshow.
"As a provider of intelligent charging infrastructure systems, RWE is already active in 16 European countries today, for example in Austria, the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom," notes Carolin Reichert, Head of E-Mobility at RWE, underlining the importance of the European market. "In this respect we're working together with the international RWE subsidiaries, with third-party mobility providers and of course with other regional energy suppliers. We estimate that more than 300 000 pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will be on the streets of European cities and metropolitan areas by 2015. Our co-operation with BYD re-emphasizes that we are actively engaged in market development and collaborating with leading automotive manufacturers."
In Germany, RWE is pursuing the construction of public charging points further at a rapid pace. Thus the company has already commissioned 450 charging points in Germany, to which it supplies electricity exclusively from renewable sources. TÜV South reviews and confirms this annually.
The fascination of electric travel is the keynote theme of RWE's Automotive Electricity Roadshow, which is making its second appearance at Berlin's Sony Center from today until 22 September 2010.
Interested visitors can test-drive electric vehicles, try out RWE's intelligent charging post and "top up" with a host of new impression. Roadshow 2010's next stop will be Munich, from 19 - 21 October 2010.
