Economic Observer Online
August 10, 2012
By Geng Huili (耿慧丽) and Xu Weiming (许伟明)
Translated by Zhu Na
Original article: [Chinese]

More than two months after an e6 battery-electric car produced by China's best-known electric car manufacturer, the Shenzhen-based BYD, was involved in a fatal car accident, a team of 13 experts have released a report into the accident and the subsequent fire which engulfed the vehicle.

At about 3am on May 26 this year, an electric taxi in the southern city of Shenzhen was involved in an accident with a Nissan GT-R sports car. A third vehicle, a regular gasoline-fueled taxi, was also involved in the accident.

According to earlier reports, the e6 taxi spun out of control after being hit and veered off the side of the road, where it hit a tree. The seriously contorted car later burst into flames. The Shenzhen police said that the Nissan first struck the e6 taxi while travelling at 180km/h and then crashed into the other taxi, overturning it. The e6 quickly caught fire after being struck and was burnt to a shell.

The report released at a press conference organized by the Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission on Aug 3, said the fire was caused by a short circuit which led to an electric arc that ignited the interior fittings of the car and a section of the batteries.

This finding has helped put to rest doubts about the safety of BYD's electric vehicles which were raised after some said the fire may have been caused by the batteries exploding or the leaking of electrolyte liquid.

"The investigation findings confirm that BYD’s batteries are safe, there are no design problems with electric cars," Wu Jingsheng (吴经胜), senior vice president of BYD was quoted as saying.

Zhong Zhi (钟志), an analyst with Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd, said even though BYD's electric car technology has been found to be safe, the company still faces significant challenges.

According to statistics collected by the China Association of Automobile Manufactures, in the first half of the year BYD sold a total of 209,600 vehicles, a decrease of 11 percent compared to the same period last year.

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Economic Observer Online: BYD\'s Electric Taxi Fire