Richard S. Chang reports in the New York Times:
The questionable quality of Chinese cars has been the butt of many jokes, but it looks as though BYD Auto of Shenzhen, China, might be having the last laugh.
On Monday, BYD Auto began selling the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car in the world.
Unlike conventional gas-electric hybrids, the F3DM can be charged from a wall outlet. It has a range of about 60 miles on a full battery charge. Its lithium-ion batteries can be fully recharged in as little as seven hours, said BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams. And the batteries can be 50 percent recharged at a special station in 10 minutes.
