The F3DM will operate for up to 62 miles in all-EV with a motor making 300 lb-ft of torque, when the battery runs low power comes from a 1.0 liter gasoline engine. Compare that to the Chevy Volt which will only have a 40 mile range in all-electric and will be mated to a 1.4-liter gasoline engine. The batteries can be charged in several ways, with a standard wall plug it’ll take about 7 hours, a dedicated high power charging station will do the job in about 3 hours, and a half charge can be achieved in as little as 10 minutes.

The real smack in the mouth is the asking price for the F3 DM — only $22,000 for the China market model — much cheaper than the expected $40,000 for the Volt. BYD has announced intent to introduce the car to the US market in the 2010 model year or perhaps sooner depending on crash certifications and regulatory hoop-jumping. The F3DM will make its worldwide debut in January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Original article: Ben Wojdyla. Jalopnik. 15 December 2008. Read more…