Clean automobiles are starting to hit the streets of
China, and just a few short months after BYD rolled its first plug-in hybrid out of the factory, Chery Automobile has followed suit... sort of, anyway. Unlike BYD's alternative, the just announced S18 is purely electric, promising up to 150 kilometers on a single charge and a maximum speed of 120kph (around 72mph). The battery can be juiced from empty to full in around six hours using a standard 220-volt home outlet, while it can reach 80 percent capacity within just a half hour. Yuan Tao, vice president of Chery, confessed that the price would be "very suitable for families," though he held back from giving specifics -- you know, like an availability date, or a definite quantity of airbags.
posted Feb 22nd 2009 10:13PM
so does burn down your house option cost extra?
No, but it comes with a gigantic power brick and a REALLY long cord.
This is nothing new and shouldn't be treated like a great advance. We already have electric cars that have a better range. The spin on these stories is that the range they give you is a best case scenario, in perfect temperature. Currently batteries have highly variable performance based on the outside environment. This is why these cars will never be mainstream. You will run out of juice unpredictably ALL THE TIME.
WHOA!!! so what does this mean this tiny fcn no name company has better technology then G.M? .. of course not G.M are just pricks and deserve to burn in hell with their number one partners Exxon.
Bailout? we should be burning their feet with FIRE!!
@Truth seeker (AKA bart_cop = fail job)
the only truth is that you are a pathetic racist cop who frequents white power web sites to make himself feel big...
you know there is honor in suicide ... (slitting you wrist in your bathtub is a good idea!)
Regardless of the car's effectiveness/safety, this just shows how slow everyone else is
I blame that on all the money and man power that went into making hybrid cars. Think if all that R&D money and time went into just pure electric we would be a lot closer then this.
Or how fast development time is when you throw just about everything (regulations, safety, whether or not you set fire to wires in the house by pulling HUGE amounts of current, e.t.c.) out the window, as I'm sure the Chinese have done here.
Anyone remember videos of the insurance agency's test of some of those Chinese knock-offs of other automobile makers vehicles? How many of you remember how big the passenger compartment was _after_ the crash. Er... Sorry, my order of preference is Japanese > European > American > Chinese.
@Mark
Car makers had hybrid technologies and could make hybrid cars back in 1970s but they thought nobody would buy those.
Back in 30-s they had all-electric cars.
Actually they had electric car's back in the late 1800's before gas. It's just because they had the technology before doesn't mean it was easy to convert it into the new platform that cars are today. We didn't have cars though that were efficient and worth value in the consumers eye at the time. Now technology has moved a long way since the 70's. Batteries are becoming more advanced every day and almost becoming viable for the consumer of today. Back in the 1800's no one drove that cross country or farther then there little town so electricity was ideal. Now lots of people drive 60+ miles a day and have more electronics in there car then people in the 60's had in there house. It is going to take a lot more R&D to get this to be an consumer favorable product which as I said would of been speed up if we didn't waste money with hybrid.
Range, range, range.
Which major automaker did they rip off for this one?
The rip-off of the Infiniti logo is clear.
Just say Chevy in the most stereotypical asian accent you can think of and you get their name.
Ok, so at what point do you forgive a business entity for their past transgressions? Even if this car isn't a copied piece of crap itself, the company is built on copying other automakers work. As if cheap labor isn't a big enough advantage, they didn't even do a lot of their own research/design to get where they are today.
I'm sure if you could refute what I had said in a coherent way, you would've. Sorry to pull back the curtain for you, I know the truth hurts sometimes.
@Link2877
"Just say Chevy in the most stereotypical asian accent you can think of and you get their name."
I'm trying but it keeps sounding like "Link2877 is a dumbass racist bastard". Weird huh?
@Why should I have all the fun?
Actually, I'm Asian and I found it kind of funny and true. Let me guess - you must be a drama queen/king Asian person. Stop being so offended and if you have to, go home crying to your mommy... which I'm sure you've already done.
Grow up.
I just love these posts about anything coming from china, theres always comments about the shitty quality and chinese readers or non-chinese readers alike being offended by the comments. I'm not taking sides, just sitting back and watch the fight, such satisfaction somehow...
Well, to add to the discussion, Chery makes shitty cars, but there are markets for shitty cars cuz the world is a shitty place, or at least some part of the world...so if they are helping with the enviornment with better tech (whether is cutting edge or piece of crap), i'd say good for them!
Hey Paul34,
Can you TXT me when you find your personal pride?
... oh and Asia called. They want you to stop speaking for them.
LOL, 80% charge in 30min would be from a fast charging station. One would expect someone employed by engadget to notice when he is writing BS... ;)
Interesting that the pic is from an Arabic dealer. Didn't know Chery was big over there. (Or maybe it's one off?)
Its big.....trust me...
Why is there Arabic script on the showroom sign?
:facepalm:
Culturally speaking, the chinese is comprised of multiethnic turks and muslims and not just Han people. Many central asian tribes dwell on the outerskirts/autonomous regions of china's western regions. This can be traced all the way back to the silk road and active trading for more than 2000 years. Therefore it is not uncommon to see Arabic scripts written along with chinese characters on certain signs especially in western China.
No, no... we can't afford more Chinese folks to start buying cars, there's simply too many of them! All those cars running off a coal-fed grid... shutters through the spine.
Invest in public transit and bikes!
word, the last thing we need is MORE cars. Even if they are electric cars and off more ecofriendly grids, its still better for people to ride bikes, walk or bus it. also people neeed to stop thinking in terms of the next new "green" car and think more in terms of how to green up their current car. remember its "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" there is none of that in buying the newest "green" product.
so wait, we get to drive hummers around and do what we want. but when the chinese want cars it NO BACK TO YOUR BIKES! come on.
Except most of Beijing is ... already on bikes. And judging from my experiences in Beijing and Hong Kong, the public transport grid of subways and buses is as good or better than most American cities. Except for New York and a few other city-areas, it seems like you are the car obssessed suburbanities, not China.
As good as bikes can be beneficial, at the amount China has, in some cities it has become of an issue than solution.
This is a bit insulting the American auto companies, the Americans have GM, Ford and Chrysler and the Japanese came and kick there asses, now the Chinese are next to do the same. I will accept that this is the Chinese and I am sure it was made in near slave labor conditions and when is come to safety, well I am sure there was none when you compare it to the japans or the Americans. That said, I believe the American auto companies should go out of business and let more innovated companies take over as the Americans have failed.
lol now we can get crushed and zapped at the same time :P
WOW! did you all see the video, there is something frcking wrong with chinese cars. WOW!
How could you buy a car from a company that can't even spell it's own name?
Like "Infinity" does right smart guy?
though he held back from giving specifics -- you know, like an availability date, or a definite quantity of airbags.
LMAO
So a Chinese car manufacturer, with less manufacturing and technology resources than an American car manufacturer, beats American car manufacturer in producing an electrical car. HEY, at least a domestic pickup with a V8 and 12MPG, they rule.
Toyota Prius was introduced in 2001, Honda Insight in 1999, Honda Civic 2002
7+ years later, domestics have the Suburban Hybrid, Tahoe Hybrid, Malibu Hybrid
Well, even from a fricking quality standpoint, they still got one better on the Americans: They got their stuff out quickly. And this time, it was actually something original. American car companies couldn't innovate even if it were simply drawing a line on damn piece of paper.
Also, calm down on the race rhetoric, too.
ok.. thanks for the info..
@ chineseneglet: Racist much?
Back in the day all the cheap crap used to come from Japan, but as their economy grew and they honed the art of international business their reputation improved dramatically.
Just because there is a lot of cheap crap being imported from China doesn't mean that there aren't Chinese manufacturers who are proud of their product and committed to quality.
To say it's in their culture to make a quick buck at the expense of quality is pretty fuckin offensive. Besides, it's not really fair to blame the makers of junk... you have to ask who is buying it.
america and other countries with hugh jass land masses should consider air-land transformer-vehicles that has an all-electric land-mode for city roads and kerosene-fuelled jetplane-mode for travelling interstate.
Yeah, this is why Huawei is a world-class company and is leading the world in producing patents. This is why Haier is now the world's 4th largest white white-goods (refrigerators, washers, stoves, etc) and is gaining marketshare all over the world. This is why BYD is now consistently pushing out amazing hybrid and electric technology, so much that Warren Buffet's company has invested it. Even countries like Israel are importing BYD cars now.
If you want to say that Chinese companies can only export unsafe/poisonous goods- know this: it takes 2 to tango. Somewhere out there, an Israeli, American, European or Middle Eastern safety agency is making sure that the cars that they're importing are up to par, which is why I don't understand when Americans say they will never buy a Chinese car because they're unsafe. Hell, they had to pass some safety standards if they're going to be sold here. Also, Japan and South Korea were in the same position just a few decades ago- laughing stocks of the world. Copycats that produced inferior products. Look at where they are now. I'm guessing you weren't even alive back then so that's why you're so ignorant.
Because Huawei wasn't sued by Cisco or was never caught at Supercomm taking pictures of competing products logic boards.
Gotta love the smell of astroturfing in the morning...
Huawei is not the #1 patent holder, but the #1 patent applicant in 2008.
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2009/article_0002.html
2008 Ranking Position Changed Applicant's Name Country of Origin PCT applications published in 2008 Increased over 2007
1 3 HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD. CN 1737 372
2 -1 PANASONIC CORPORATION JP 1729 -371
3 -1 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V. NL 1551 -490
4 2 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA JP 1364 366
5 0 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH DE 1273 127
6 -3 SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT DE 1089 -555
7 2 NOKIA CORPORATION FI 1005 180
8 5 LG ELECTRONICS INC. KR 992 273
9 12 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL) SE 984 387
10 4 FUJITSU LIMITED JP 983 275
11 -4 QUALCOMM INCORPORATED US 907 -67
12 4 NEC CORPORATION JP 825 199
13 2 SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA JP 814 112
14 -6 MICROSOFT CORPORATION US 805 -40
15 -5 MOTOROLA, INC. US 778 -46
16 -5 BASF SE DE 721 -101
17 2 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION US 664 58
18 -6 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY US 663 -106
19 1 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. KR 639 41
20 5 E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY US 517 13
21 3 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION JP 503 -12
22 -4 PIONEER CORPORATION JP 497 -114
23 5 HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. US 493 88
24 284 CONTINENTAL AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT DE 485 435
25 2 THOMSON LICENSING FR 461 45
26 16 ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE KR 443 155
27 -5 THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY US 412 -163
28 22 NXP B.V. NL 407 166
29 3 SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AB SE 402 42
30 -1 BSH BOSCH UND SIEMENS HAUSGERÄTE GMBH DE 393 -5
31 -14 INTEL CORPORATION US 377 -246
32 23 INA-SCHAEFFLER KG DE 374 143
33 11 DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD. JP 367 88
34 -3 THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 343 -21
35 -12 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. US 339 -181
36 17 RENAULT S.A.S. FR 335 101
37 18 KYOCERA CORPORATION JP 332 101
38 13 ZTE CORPORATION CN 329 94
39 -13 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY US 326 -112
40 24 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED US 308 96
41 10 SONY CORPORATION JP 307 72
42 -4 EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY US 299 -31
43 40 BAKER HUGHES INCORPORATED US 295 128
43 -8 NOVARTIS AG CH 295 -47
45 129 APPLE COMPUTER, INC. US 289 205
46 13 FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V. DE 287 58
47 43 DOW GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC. US 285 130
48 1 NIKON CORPORATION JP 284 40
49 22 THE BOEING COMPANY US 281 100
50 -4 CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA JP 280 15
Zoesch: Ah, the lawsuit from 4 years ago? The lawsuit that Cisco dropped after Huawei changed its products a bit? I wonder why they didn't pursue and sue for huge damages if they had enough evidence? 4 years later, Huawei is still giving other world-class multinationals (including Cisco) a beating and gaining marketshare quickly. Ouch. I never heard of the Supercomm accusations before, but I believe many "innovative" companies of today European, Japanese or Americans have been accused of copying one time or another. It's convenient how you'll ignore the fact that Huawei R&D is world-class and how they're consistently winning awards for innovative design these days.
Wow, Chineseneglet, you actually registered only to bash chinese products?
Typical dude with inferiority complex that can't do succeed and anything well looking for something to bash on,
As the ghost of GM's assassinated electric car haunts a fearful Detroit, another boogeyman is waiting in the wings: the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric car, being readied for its December release -- in China.
BYD, a company that first made its reputation as the world's largest maker of cell phone batteries, has announced it will release the F3DM hybrid sedan on December 15. And BYD says it plans to release a version of thecar in the US and Europe in 2010 or 2011, just when GM plans to begin selling its own plug-in hybrid, the Chevy Volt
Dodge trucks
@chineseneglet...
the laughing stock of the world that still has a growth rate much higher than your beloved countries, or a growth rate at all during the economic slowdown? is that what you mean?
whatever and however they are doing it, China is a massive forceful power in the world these days and will continue to only grow stronger...
and don't forget alot of the products you use today wouldnt' be around if it wasn't made in China buddy, your world class companies that rock that world of yours.. thats right made in China my friend! I've had many a product of top western brands that were sub par but i guess its accepted in common society hey?
but at the end of the day, they still have small penises