One reason military drones fly thousands of feet high is greater visual coverage of terrain. Optics are there to zoom in. At that height, there is no aural clue from the ground. So a silent UAV is no longer a top priority.

@ gor, Put it on Ebay.

The advantage is already a long known fact. The issue is the demand side.

@ Brotherkenny4 , CIA is already in every corner of the world.

BYD has the queer habit of adding up to grand totals like the mileage logged by a fleet of electric buses, which means very little in terms of performance but sounds bombastic statistically. They should follow what other manufacturers are doing and use per vehicle basis.

@ Engineer-Poet, Replace of ICE with EVs with give impetus to the commissioning of renewable energy power plants. It is already growing at a faster rate anyway in China also.

@ D, Airbags? Twelve.

@ Engineer-Poet, The situation over is far cry from what the media make it out to be. Judge them with a population of 1.4b. But if you want them to be more like the US, shutting them out of the American market is not the best way to go.

To update my own post, BYD had stated that testing confirmed the safety of the buses. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131213005908/en/LA-Area-Transit-Officials-Tout-Electric-Bus-Company#.UuScUPuwoad

I would like to see if BYD has made updates to the chassis after reports of weaknesses in California.

@ Kelly, "Positive direction, but is the BYD bus better than the US Proterra?" The Proterra charges fast - 10 minutes - but needs frequent charging, so the battery pack is most likely smaller. Which means it is more suited for shorter routes, whereas the BYD will ply longer.

Here's an excerpt from GM. "With up to a 40-mile range for the under 10-minute fast charge application, the EcoRide BE-35 can easily replace 80 percent of diesel buses in typical transit and shuttle use without altering schedules or passenger service. The EcoRide can also be configured for longer ranges while charging at a central location."

Harvey, Wouldn't you want to join the forum and contribute your 2 or 3 cents? :)

This is all about national security and foreign exchange.

@ToppaTom "Just ask them; they'll tell you whatever you want to hear. If they lie; sue 'em." Companies that buy new processes do not accept face values.

Better hope that you don't get a fender bender.

VW needs to prove that this model is not an E-Golf cart.

@Henrik, @Reel$$, You guys are hopeless. China has the world's highest installed windpower capacity. Though it is in absolute terms, it is remarkable considering it's current state of economic development. It's per capita income is still 1/10th of the west. Now it's moving to start increasing their solar power generation on a bigger scale. If you go by the per capita wealth of the US, then it has been the most inconsiderate nation by far as been emphasized by western analysts.

Reel$$ , The US often disguise their inhumane deeds. Read what they did to the Guatemalans. Get real.

ExDemo, Your irrational exuberance is not going to help people to understand the significance of S&P's downgrade of the US credit rating and its irrelevance to making the air cleaner and healthier.

What's next? WMD?

@ Reel$$, The US also has its own issues like racial discrimination, massacres, bigotry, prejudice, international bullying, Gitmo, etc. but those have not stop the world from buying American.

State-wide system,65 miles? Cough, cough.

Tony Hayward can have his life back.

Agreed. A hybrid feature makes more sense.