Davemart http://www.buya123batteries.com/ALM_12V35s_p/alm12v35s.htm

BYD wants to be the chinese BMW.

At almost $900 per battery it will be for niche markets only.

I am not too sure it has anything to do with marketing consideration and/or conspiracies by the car companies. If there would be a significant performance increase in battery power available, the computer companies for one would jump right in, since it would give them a competitive edge. Same logic would be valid for smartphones and other mobile technologies. The fact that it hasn't happened is probably that none of these promising battery technologies are really ready for prime time. Even now Li-on batteries, after years on the market, still give trouble, witness the recent issues with the Boeing Dreamliner.

The plugin market in Europe is small, because most people drive small cars, diesel often, that already run very economical . A plugin will never pay back the sizeable incremental costs, on average Euro 10,000 in different brands and models, unless there are serious government incentives.

What I think is interesting, is that the model presented will likely be very much the style of the next Prius.

Goodbye A123 systems and Fisker. They never delivered on their promises and thus got punished by the marketplace.

Well, that price includes the 19% value added tax. For people who have a business, this can be taken off. In addition there might be tax incentives, like quicker write-offs. Net price for this car in these countries might be 15,000 or less.

To me, a PHEV must have a minimum battery driven range of 50 km or 35 miles. this is a realistic number for a daily commute, without the need to recharge at the workplace, which may not be possible. Volt has this and this Audi as well (the Volvo V60 PHEV also but this car is positioned as a performance car and more expensive). The range of the Prius is too limited and, given its price, in comparison with these 2 cars, it is too expensive. I think the Audi (and VW equivalent) will be selling well.

Knowing the US tendency for lawsuits, I expect that the US version of the car will have a sign on the rear doors saying " Caution, this door only opens with front door open".

This is a good development. What we need is more and more cars using PHEV to get the production of batteries up to volume levels, just like it happened before in other areas, such as laptops, mobile phones, cameras, etc. I am looking forward to 2014 when VW will be entering the market, with Audi A3 E-tron and Volvo with V60. Too bad Lexus seems to be ignoring the PHEV market.

I don't think that improved battery technology will be ready so soon. It has taken years, if not decades, for the current technology to evolve. Improvements will be incremental.

The car may have its followers, like semi-government, or for PR use for companies willing to enhance their green image, but for the ordinary driver, this is not going to be making any sense. For someone who wants a BMW - and that is the audience that BMW may be after, the alternative for that price is a well-equipped 3 series with a range exceeding 700 km.

Don't count on getting this kind of economy if you use this car mainly to drive to the supermarket and the kids to school.

Sounds like a ideal replacement for diesel generators like those used for instance in pleasure crafts.

At least a useful upgrade for the $2100 monthly lease that Volvo charges for this car.

I liked the Cmax PhEV until I saw the huge bump in the trunk, where the battery is stored, an unsightly view.

In addition to the purchase price, you also pay $90 a month for the lease of the battery. So essentially this car cost over $25,000 without a battery. Frightfully expensive for such a size car.

This deal would never have been approved if it was a strategically important technology. Probably the DOE believes that there are sufficient alternative technologies that are equal or possibly better.

Ford this time seems to have done everything right.

In my country (holland), ebikes getting more and more popular. My wife got one this year which has the Bosch system, and she finds it fantastic. A strong head wind, which , like sailing, always seems to the direction where the winds come from, is no longer a problem. And, this summer we took the bike to the UK, where we could increase the range of our trips, and did not have to walk the sometimes steep hills.

This is the Audi marketing machine working in overdrive. My bet is that won't be any Audi in 2014 driving as EV or PhEV, maybe a few hundred Q hybrids.

Too bad not much more specific news on plugin. My hopes were on a plugin Lexus RX, CT or stationwagen (Avensis. It seems no real competition then for GM Volt/Ampera for the next few years.

I am also puzzled why there is no Lexus PHEV. There was some talk of a CT 200H PHEV, back in 2010 for 2012, but since then no further news.

That's more that a 30% percent reduction. Last year the EU parliament voted overwhelmingly against a proposal by the EU commission to reduce CO2 by 30% by 2020. Now the Commission tries again, this time on one segment of the market.