BYD’s E6 Electric Car Heading for 2011 US Launch

BYD, the Chinese car manufacturer that also builds electric vehicles, wants to test-market an all-electric battery car in the US next year, according to a Wall Street Journal report. After it hit the stage at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the model was originally supposed to arrive in the US this year, but the project was hit by technical problems and had to be postponed.

The one-year delay was a big setback for the global ambitions of China's auto sector, which is trying to catch up to more established global manufacturers. Stella Li, BYD's senior vice president and head of its U.S. operations, told WSJ the setbacks were caused by BYD's efforts to make the car roomier in the back, where large battery packs took up room under the seat.

The manufacturer plans to ship as many as 50 E6 electric cars by the end of next year to fleet customers in Southern California, including the municipal government of Los Angeles. Earlier this year, the company began selling E6s to Chinese taxi firms in Shenzhen, also collecting field data to improve the car.

BYD is also involved in supplying all-electric buses to the city of Los Angeles. "Initially, we would ship e-buses from China, but eventually we would have to localize production," Ms. Li said. One buss will be shipped to LA by the second quarter of next year for testing, as a demonstration vehicle. "We are spending our policy dollars right now more on electric cars, but maybe we want to tilt it a little bit more toward public transportation," Austin Beutner, Los Angeles’ deputy mayor, was quoted as saying.