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BYD introduces the Keyless Entry Wristwatch

Thursday, April 24th, 2008 by admin

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Not even James Bond has one of these: a watch that performs the functions of a keyless entry fob for your car. Developed by (or for) Chinese car manufacturer BYD, the gadget is made only for the F8 model. Press the top button on the right, and the car is locked, press the bottom button, the car is unlocked.

byd_f8_watch.jpg

 The watch also has a starter function, but it’s not labeled on the bezel like the others. Since it has a manual movement, you don’t need to worry about a battery going dead as long as you wear the watch… and move. No word on whether you need to wind it in case you don’t wear it. But come on now, it’s not like you could stay away from your BYD F8 long enough for the watch to stop, is it? And as the brochure states, it even tells time — which is not a bad thing for a watch.

[Source: The Tycho]

Beijing ‘08 Preview: BYD e6 electrifies family hauling

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 by admin

auto china, AutoChina, beijing, beijing 2008, beijing motor show, beijing2008, beijingautoshow, beijingmotorshow, byd, byd auto, byd e6, BydAuto, BydE6

When Auto China (a.k.a. the Beijing Motor Show) opens next week, BYD will pull the wraps off its e6, an EV crossover/MPV with a front end similar in appearance to the JDM Honda Odyssey. Unlike Honda’s people-mover, the e6 runs exclusively on batteries. Its operating range is stated as being 300 km (186 miles) on a full charge. Said batteries, we’re assuming they’re lithium-ion (the translation from Autoblog Chinese is a little dodgy), can be charged via a 220V outlet. If a quick-charger is used (details of which are not yet available), 15 minutes gets the driver an 80% charge. A completely respectable zero-to-100 km/h (62 mpg) time of ten seconds is achievable, along with a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). The e6 battery pack lives under the rear seats, where BYD says provides they’re well-protected in the event of a crash. BYD says that the e6 could go into production within two years. We’ll look for more updates when the show gets underway.

[Sources: AutoblogGreen via Autoblog Chinese, Autoblog Spanish]