BYD F3DM
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The BYD F3DM (Dual-mode) was a
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
compact sedan manufactured by BYD with an
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For ...
of and a hybrid electric powertrain that can extend the range an additional . The F3DM is the world's first
mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...
plug-in hybrid automobile and went on sale to government agencies and corporations in China on December 15, 2008. During its first year in the market the F3DM plug-in sold only 48 vehicles. Sales to the general public began in
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
in March 2010, and 417 units were sold during 2010. ''417 units were delivered in 2010''. Cumulative sales in China reached 3,284 units through October 2013, when sales ended, ''A total of 613 units were sold during 2011 and 1,201 units in 2012''. ''A total of 1,005 F3DMs were sold between January and October 2013.'' and only 11 units were sold in Europe through October 2012. A testing program was launched in the U.S. in December 2010 with the participation of the
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. Established in 1938, HACLA provides the largest stock of affordable housing in the city Los Angeles, California and is one of the nation's oldest public ...
(HACLA). The F3DM was expected to go on sale in the U.S. in 2012 at a price of before any government incentives. In October 2011 BYD announced that retail sales will be delayed due to the lack of
charging infrastructure A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric ...
. In April 2012 BYD announced that due to its low sales, the F3DM was to be replaced by the
BYD Qin The BYD Qin (pronounced "Chin") is a compact sedan developed by BYD Auto, available as an all-electric car, as a plug-in hybrid and as an internal combustion engine vehicle. The plug-in hybrid variant (which was the only variant available in th ...
(pronounced “Chin”) plug-in hybrid, which was unveiled at the 2012
Beijing International Automotive Exhibition Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Beijing Motor Show or Auto China () is an auto show held biennially in Beijing, China since 1990. China is currently the largest auto market in the world. 2020 The 2020 Auto China show was due to open ...
. Qin deliveries in China began in mid December 2013. , the F3DM was no longer in production, but the remaining stock was sold by October 2013.


History

The F3DM was introduced at the 2008
Geneva Motor Show The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
, preceded by the
F6DM The BYD F6 is a midsize sedan produced by the Chinese manufacturer BYD. Overview The styling of the BYD F6 heavily resembles the North American seventh-generation Honda Accord with the front of a first-generation Saab 9-5 and the rear of a ...
concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
which was first unveiled in the
North American International Auto Show The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...
in January 2008.


Batteries and range

BYD uses a 16 kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4) for the F3DM. BYD has said their LiFePO4 batteries are "inherently safe" because they are more chemically stable, although they pack less energy in each cell (100 Wh/kg), compared with more conventional
lithium-ion A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also sees ...
(LiCoO2) batteries (150 to 200 Wh/kg). The F3DM battery pack consist of 100 3.3-volt cells stored under the cabin. BYD says the car will have a
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For ...
as well as a gasoline engine that allows operation in hybrid mode that extend the range for an additional . The electric range assumes the car is traveling at a constant speed of 50 km/h, which is not likely to reflect real-world usage. The F3DM has a roof-mounted large solar panel capable of providing electric energy to run vehicle accessories such as the radio and climate control.


Powertrain

The F3DM has two alternating current
electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
s, a 50-kilowatt unit that drives the wheels and a 25-kilowatt helper that can send power to the wheels or generate electricity through
regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
. The two motors provide all the propulsion until the charge level of the F3DM's batteries reaches 20%, then after this threshold the car automatically switches from electric mode operation to hybrid mode. At that point, the F3DM's 1-liter 3-cylinder engine kicks in to bring the battery charge as close as possible to 30%, effectively extending the range of the vehicle just like the
Chevrolet Volt The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid manufactured by General Motors, also marketed in rebadged variants as the Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand and the Buick Velite 5 in China, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in t ...
does. The F3DM has a direct connection between the gasoline engine and the wheels that is useful when accelerating onto a highway, just like the
Prius The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003. In 2007, th ...
. Under high-load circumstances, the 68
horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
gasoline engine combines with the electric motors to deliver a total of . BYD calls the F3DM is a dual-mode vehicle because it allows the driver to manually switch from all-electric to
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
operation. The hybrid powertrain uses a 1.0-liter engine with battery-assisted acceleration at low speeds and the gasoline engine clutches to drive the wheels when more power is required. The estimated fuel economy is .


Price and sales


China

On December 15, 2008, the F3DM began selling for 149,800 yuan (about
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
21,900). In April 2009, the CEO Wang Chuanfu announced the price will be lowered to increase sales, but currently the price of a 2010 F3DM (with solar panels) is up to 169,800 yuan (US$25,792). Wang also wants an independent verification of the car's on-road performance. During its first year in the market the F3DM plug-in sold only 48 vehicles to corporate and government customers. ''48 units sold in 2009''. The premium price of the plug-in and lack of government subsidies are the main reasons cited by BYD for slow sales; others mention poor quality and "crude transitions" between electric and gasoline power. During 2009
BYD Auto BYD Auto Co., Ltd. ("Build Your Dreams") is the automotive subsidiary of the publicly-listed Chinese multinational manufacturer BYD Company, headquartered in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. It was founded in January 2003, following BYD Compa ...
sold 290,963 of the gasoline-powered F3s, which starts at 59,800 yuan (~US$8,750, just over a third of the price of an F3DM) and was China's best-selling model. Since March 29, 2010,
BYD Auto BYD Auto Co., Ltd. ("Build Your Dreams") is the automotive subsidiary of the publicly-listed Chinese multinational manufacturer BYD Company, headquartered in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. It was founded in January 2003, following BYD Compa ...
began selling the F3DM to the general public in
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
,
Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, but only 28 units were sold during the first three months and all were sold to the Shenzhen local government. Among the reasons cited for the slow sales are the lack of infrastructure to charge, the high battery cost, and also the batteries have been reported to be unreliable. As the F3DM nearly doubles the price of cars that run on conventional fuel, BYD expects subsidies from the local government to make the plug-in affordable to personal buyers. Similar subsidies are expected in other cities. On June 1, 2010, the Chinese government announced a trial program to provide incentives to carmakers up to 50,000 yuan (~US$7,320) for
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
s that will benefit residents in five cities:
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
,
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
,
Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
,
Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...
and
Changchun Changchun (, ; ), also romanized as Ch'angch'un, is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a , comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 c ...
. After the plug-in subsidy is discounted from the F3DM cost, its sales price would be still almost US$5,900 higher than the gasoline-powered F3 model. A total of 417 units were delivered in 2010, with BYD claiming that they could not build enough batteries to meet demand. A total of 613 units were sold during 2011, 1,201 units in 2012, and 1,005 units during the first ten months of 2013. Sales ended in October 2013, and cumulative sales reached 3,284 F3DMs since December 2008.


United States

A testing program was launched in December 2010 with the participation of the
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. Established in 1938, HACLA provides the largest stock of affordable housing in the city Los Angeles, California and is one of the nation's oldest public ...
(HACLA), which leased ten F3DMs for a month for one year. The trial F3DM sedans delivered to HACLA have an
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For ...
of and drivers can manually switch the vehicle to stay in all-electric vehicle (EV mode). For trips longer than 60 miles the vehicle can be manually switched to plug-in-hybrid electric, which engages the 1.0-liter gasoline engine to extend the range another while charging the batteries. The onboard overnight-charger allows to charge the plug-in hybrid in less than 7 hours, allowing HACLA to install standard 220VAC outlets in its EV fleet parking areas. In April 2011 BYD reported that the HACLA fleet achieved an average of equivalent (MPG-e) based on a total of accumulated by the fleet, of which ~ were traveled in all-electric mode, representing 72.3 percent of the total mileage logged by the HACLA fleet, and only using gasoline. The F3DM was scheduled to begin retail sales in the U.S. in 2012 at a price of before any federal and local incentives. In October 2011 BYD opened its headquarters in Los Angeles, a year behind schedule, and announced that retail sales will be delayed due to the lack of
charging infrastructure A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric ...
.


Spain

Sales of the F3DM began in Spain at a price of in August 2011. A total of 8 units were sold in 2011, followed by two more cars in 2012.


See also

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BYD e6 The BYD e6 is an all-electric compact crossover/compact MPV manufactured by BYD from 2009. Field testing for the first generation model began in China in May 2010 with 40 units operating as taxis in the city of Shenzhen. Sales to the general pub ...
*
BYD F6DM The BYD F6 is a midsize sedan produced by the Chinese manufacturer BYD. Overview The styling of the BYD F6 heavily resembles the North American seventh-generation Honda Accord with the front of a first-generation Saab 9-5 and the rear of a M ...
*
BYD Qin The BYD Qin (pronounced "Chin") is a compact sedan developed by BYD Auto, available as an all-electric car, as a plug-in hybrid and as an internal combustion engine vehicle. The plug-in hybrid variant (which was the only variant available in th ...
*
Electric car use by country Electric car use by country varies worldwide, as the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles is affected by consumer demand, market prices, availability of charging infrastructure, and government policies, such as purchase incentives and long ...
*
Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles have been established around the world to support policy-driven adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. These incentives mainly take the form of purchase rebates, tax exemptions and tax credits, ...
*
History of plug-in hybrids The history of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) spans a little more than a century, but most of the significant commercial developments have taken place after 2002. The revival of interest in this automotive technology together with all ...
*
List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion (e.g ...
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Plug-in electric vehicle A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any road vehicle that can utilize an external source of electricity (such as a wall socket that connects to the power grid) to store electrical power within its onboard rechargeable battery packs, which then ...


References


External links


BYD Auto official website

BBC: Revving China's auto industry
;Pictures
Series production F3DM plug-in cars
;Video
BYD Auto (English)BYD Auto (Mandarin)''Edmunds''Test drive in Los Angeles
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