% Uber testing 25 BYD e6 EVs in Chicago IL r:186mi %
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/03/13/uber-byd-idINKBN0M92LJ20150313 Exclusive - Uber in deal with China's BYD to test electric cars By Nichola Groom Mar 14, 2015 (Reuters) - [uber.com] said on Friday it struck a deal with Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd to test a fleet of electric cars for its drivers. The test programme, which kicked off a few weeks ago in Chicago and could eventually expand to other cities, is the Silicon Valley startup's first attempt to focus on an electric vehicle, said Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin."We've seen interest in the programme already from current and potential Chicago partners (drivers)," Altmin said. Uber, which allows users to summon rides on their smartphones, originally started with a luxury town-car service but in many cities has added UberX, a low frills service with nonprofessional drivers using personal cars. The BYD offering is aimed at those drivers. The electric car is part of Uber's programme to help drivers buy or lease new or used cars. The BYD e6 vehicles are available through Green Wheels USA, a Chicago car dealership that focuses on electric and hybrid cars and also builds EV charging stations. About 25 BYD vehicles are currently being used by Uber drivers in Chicago, and the hope is to bring that number to a couple of hundred by the end of the year, according to Doug Snower, Green Wheels' president. Uber began talking to BYD and Green Wheels late last year, Altmin said. For BYD the deal with Uber could be a step toward the long-held goal of selling its cars to U.S. consumers. The company, whose name stands for "build your dream", is a major automaker in China, but its e6 vehicle has thus far only been used in pilot programs in the United States. Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Tesla Motors Inc are better known in the United States for their electric cars, the Leaf and the Model S. Uber would not comment on why it had picked a company with a relatively unknown brand. The e6 is larger than many other electric cars, however, and is being used in London by chauffer service Thriev. BYD gained Warren Buffett's backing in 2009 and announced plans to sell its e6 electric car in the United States the following year. Since then, BYD's U.S. business has focussed mainly on electric buses for public transportation. BYD publicized the programme on its Facebook page but declined to comment on the deal with Uber. The Facebook post, which has a picture of the vehicle, says the e6 has a 186 mile range on a single charge. It also says financing is available from BYD-approved lenders. Green Wheels is offering several options to drivers interested in the e6. The most popular programme, Snower said, allows an Uber driver to pay $200 a week to use an e6 for his or her driving shift. The vehicle is then returned to a Green Wheels lot, where it is charged until it is used again. Drivers can also enter into a more traditional lease or a lease-to-own programme, Snower said. [© reuters.com] ... http://www.greenwheelschicago.com/ Green Wheels Automotive Chicago, IL http://www.yelp.com/biz/green-wheels-automotive-chicago ... https://www.google.com/#q=chicago+deep+pizza+topped+with+loads+of Chicago style deep-dish topped with loads of ... http://www.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-uber-in-deal-with-chinas-byd-to-test-electric-cars-2015-3 Uber struck a deal with a Chinese automaker to test a fleet of electric cars Nichola Groom, Reuters Mar. 13, 2015 [image http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/542b363469bedd893902ebd0-1200-858/rtr3i711.jpg A visitor looks at BYD E6 electric car on display at the New Energy Auto Expo in Nanjing ] ... [© 2015 Business Insider] ... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Uber-testing-electric-cars-in-China/articleshow/46562197.cms Uber testing electric cars in China Reuters | Mar 14, 2015 ... http://www.tweaktown.com/news/44061/uber-trialling-fleet-25-electric-vehicles-chicago/index.html Uber is trialling a fleet of 25 electric vehicles in Chicago March 15, 2015 Uber has teamed up with Chinese automaker BYD, or "Build Your Dream" to outfit a fleet of its Chicago drivers with electronic vehicles in the form of the BYD e6 ... ... http://clapway.com/2015/03/15/the-road-ahead-uber-tests-electric-cars123/ The Road Ahead: Uber Tests Electric Cars March 15, 2015 Uber drivers in Chicago are now using electric cars. There is a fleet of 25 of BYD e6 EV currently in operation on the street. Uber has developed a connection with “Build Your Dream,” www.byd.com a rechargeable battery supplier based in China and the cars are being distributed straight to Green Wheels, an auto-dealership in Chicago. The move is popular but requires slow moving pieces to gain traction globally. These electric cars serve as a testament to Uber’s cutting edge business model of efficiency that allow the user to request a cab from their phone and not struggle through their wallets for fare or tip. The move to energy efficient vehicles follows hand-in-hand with the company’s interest in popular trends, but may not be so efficient logistically. According to the Uber website: www.uber.com, UberBlack drivers are required to drive a black sedan, town car or crossover SUV that comfortably seats four. The required cars often have low gas mileage, though in the form of an electric car may mean much less carbon footprint, but more searching for recharging stations. Because drivers generally own the cars they drive, Green Wheels has the option of renting the cars for $200 a week, or signing up a lease-to-own program. If an Uber driver is making $56,000 a year, or about $27 an hour, as Business Insider suggests the cost is doable, but stretching. Though, we may not be seeing electric cars throughout Uber’s 55 counties and over 200 cities. Installation is a minimum of $500 in personal homes, according to Doug Snower, a representative at Green Wheels, and there are only about 10 locations in the Chicago area to recharge, where the property owners are generally required to pay for installation as well. However, the move is hopeful. Uber is one of the most successful cab services in history, and people are watching the moves it makes. If charging stations are the issue “they are always adding more,” Mr. Snowder adds. [© 2015 Clapway] http://blog.caranddriver.com/chicago-uber-drivers-are-leasing-chinas-byd-e6-for-800-a-month-the-question-is-why/ Chicago Uber Drivers Are Leasing China’s BYD e6 for $800 a Month—the Question Is Why? March 16, 2015 by Clifford Atiyeh [images / Jeffrey G. Russell and the Manufacturer http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/byd-e6-electric-vehicle-photo-253472-s-986x603.jpg byd-e6-electric-vehicle-photo-253472-s-986x603 http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/byd-e6-electric-vehicle-photo-render.jpg byd-e6-electric-vehicle-photo-render ] Hey Chicago, have we got a deal for you: For a limited time, lease a new electric car for just $299 a week with $1500 down! Standard features include the lowest efficiency in its class and the full backing and unbeatable quality of an unknown Chinese automaker. Or purchase one for $51,990 out the door! Hurry on down! With our own minor embellishment, that’s an actual listing for a BYD e6 from an independent dealer in Chicago, which appears to have the first distribution rights for the four-door electric hatch from “Build Your Dreams.” The lease offer applies only for taxi fleets, or specifically, UberX drivers who agree to rent the car weekly and leave it at a dealer lot to charge. According to Reuters, there are 25 Uber drivers buzzing around Chi-town with an e6 from the dealer Green Wheels USA, who can pay slightly less ($200 a week, no down payment) to use the car during their shifts. BYD, which Warren Buffett backed in 2009 taking a 10-percent stake, partnered with Uber and the dealer since the city offers $10,000 rebates to taxi fleets that purchase EVs, on top of a $4000 rebate from the state of Illinois. The e6 first debuted at the 2009 Detroit auto show, and a test car has been floating around the Chicago area since 2012—Cars.com tested one and got scared by “crude” brakes and steering. The identical-looking production model is out now, and it’s EPA rated at 127 miles of range. The EPA also gives the e6 a gasoline equivalent of 63 mpg combined—81 percent below the Nissan Leaf and the worst of all new EVs—which means it uses a lot more juice to go the same distance. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not have the vehicle listed in its crash-test reports, but we wouldn’t be optimistic on that front, either. Nonetheless, BYD thinks it can move a “couple of hundred” more cars in Chicago by the year’s end at the Uber rate of $800 per month. Never mind that a Nissan Leaf can be leased for a third of that price; alternately, a base Tesla Model S can be had for about $150 more. Still, BYD, a mainstream automaker in China and in several emerging markets, is quietly becoming a bit player in the U.S. electric market. The company has an office in downtown Los Angeles and is preparing 40-foot electric buses for the city’s Metro department, which has ordered 25. Stanford University runs about 13 BYD buses as campus shuttles and has an order for 10 more, while the Antelope Valley Transit Authority north of L.A., where BYD has a bus factory in Lancaster, is ordering at least another four. But not even the California market can absorb pricey electric economy cars. Toyota found that out with its $50,000 RAV4 EV; and Coda, a startup that converted cheap Chinese sedans and sold them for 40 grand, died and was buried in 2013. With major automakers already offering high-quality EVs for less than $30,000 before government incentives—and more on the way—BYD and uninformed Uber drivers will be the only ones dreaming of an e6. [© 2015 Hearst Communications] ... http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+subject%3AUber+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date Read more Uber EVLN items on evdl For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date http://www.ibtimes.com/chinese-gigafactory-byd-says-it-could-have-battery-production-capacity-roughly-equal-1847002 BYD Chinese 'Gigafactory' Could Have Battery Production by 2020 http://insideevs.com/spied-byd-e5-electric-car-with-124-mile-range/ Spied: BYD e5 Electric Car With 124-Mile Range http://insideevs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/byd-e5-ev-china-0-660x382.jpg http://cleantechnica.com/2015/02/21/byd-qin-kandi-ev-dominate-china-electric-car-sales-chart/ BYD Qin & Kandi EV Dominate China Electric Car Sales (Chart) http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/chinese-company-launches-electric-vehicles-in-thailand/40498/ BYD launches electric vehicles in Thailand http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/china-loves-to-make-really-weird-cars China loves to make really weird cars Cars with no horsepower, fish tanks and odd hardware are just part of the fun. Some even plug in. http://www.reporternewspapers.net/2015/03/10/sandy-springs-opens-electric-car-charging-stations-in-hammond-park/ 2 L2 EVSE in Hammond Park, Sandy Springs GA + EVLN: Give me some pack-capacity, & make it a double> Dyson,Sakti3 (v) {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Chicago-style-deep-discharge-Uber-EVs-topped-with-loads-of-BYD-tp4674338.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
