Comments on: Consulting Firm: Chinese Hybrid and Electric Cars Are Overhyped

By: fred smilek

fred smilek — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:59:30 +0000

Anonymous this message is for you. Could you please try to post comments and not garbage. It really bothers me becuase some people in here are trying to make a nice conversation and apparently you are not. At least you should try ok.

By: fred smilek

fred smilek — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:30:08 +0000

How much is it going to cost? It seems like it is going to be a great sell. So sad that we have to wait until 2015.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:41:03 +0000

Obama’s goal is 1 million plug in hybrids on the road by 2015, not just hybrids like the hybrid in name only Malibu. If we compare 130,000 to 1 million, which number will be closer to actuality by the end of 2015? Chevy plans to sell 10,000 in 2011, and 60,000 in 2012, and 100,000 in the following years, so that works out to 370,000. Now Toyota plans to introduce about 150 plug-in Priuses in America in late 2009. But they have not to my knowledge disclosed production and sales projections. But lets say they are similar to the Volt numbers. Then we could expect over 700,000 PHEV on the road.

By: sean t

sean t — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:35:00 +0000

Frost & Sullivan has a good track record, that doesn't mean they can't get things wrong.
Lessons: Japanese and Koreans, and next the Chinese. Be complacent at your own risk.

By: Dan L

Dan L — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:48:57 +0000

Batteries are the missing piece to the electric car puzzle. Any car manufacturer could build electric cars if someone could supply them with cost effective batteries. BYD is the world’s largest battery manufacturer. They are well positioned to dominate the electric car market even if they never learn how to make a decent car. All they have to do is make the best batteries.

By: hybridgreg

hybridgreg — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:13:12 +0000

Well, I gathered from this article that the Chinese are speaking about their own car market when it says that they will have only .9% by 2015. Lets not confuse their domestic production with their exports. At last count, Japan only has 95,000 hybrids on the roads. Compare that to the close to 80,000 hybrids in California, alone, and you can get a sense that it does not matter much what they project for the Chinese domestic market. Exports will be considerably more. China will be a player, but they have a rich history of streching the truth in press releases. With China, follow the money and party edicts. If they want to compete in the hybrid market in the US, they can. Telegraphing that goal to their competitors is not their style.

By: VIJAY KHONDE

VIJAY KHONDE — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:06:12 +0000

Its good. Wish to know more run in km per charge. Is there any device for charging batteries while running, like dynamo/ altinater. If find suitable wish to purchase it in India.
OR
I live in India- Mumbai. I have Maruti 800 (Suzuki). Can I convert it to EV
Regards

By: hamilton

hamilton — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:28:59 +0000

BYD has been HUGELY over-hyped in the western press - most of the vehicles delivered to date have been to captive fleets (quicker user feedback, more easily serviced, more limited PR exposure). BYD in fact has been pretty forthcoming about this - probably the third sentence out of their rep's mouth at this year's Detroit autoshow, when I spoke with him.

Nonetheless, BYD has the money, knowledge and gov't support to keep at EV development until they've got a viable product at a decent price. Poor analogy I know - but think back to Zhang Yimou's amazing opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics. He captured the spirit of today's China. The country has a lot of engineers who are working just as long hours as those performer/soldiers, in order to put together a great product that their country can take pride in.

By: hamilton

hamilton — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:15:40 +0000

The Chinese central government has a funny habit of laying down edicts from above, that makes forecasting a risky business!

The two state-owned Chinese petroleum companies are busy across the planet trying to lock up long-term oil supplies, but Chinese domestic vehicle demand is simply exploding.

Having been involved first-hand in China's auto industry for over a decade, it's not hard at all for me to imagine an edict that imposes usage fees, limited licenses or whatever on all non-EVs. Even as entrepreneurial types find ways around the rules, EV volumes will skyrocket.

By: Think Ahead

Think Ahead — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:01:20 +0000

Yes... keep thinking Chinese cars are overhyped. Keep thinking Chinese cars will never catch up. Keep that complacent attitude. That's how Chinese like it.

Oops, how did Japanese cars passed the big 3? Well, they started by making cars that people called craps and never looked back. Lesson learned? May be not...