We're glad to see other publications take seriously a story we've been reporting for over a year — since our first BYD test drive. BYD received an investment from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and has already developed multiple hybrid and electric cars. As a way of proving the non-toxicity of his newly-developed battery, the Chairman drank a glass of the electrolyte fluid from a battery in front of David Sokol, CEO of one of the largest utilities in the United States. From the article:

When David Sokol toured BYD's operations last summer, Wang took him to a battery factory and explained that BYD wants to make its batteries 100% recyclable. To that end, the company has developed a nontoxic electrolyte fluid. To underscore the point, Wang poured battery fluid into a glass and drank it. "Doesn't taste good," he said, making a face and offering a sip to Sokol.

Sokol declined politely. But he got the message. "His focus there was that if we're going to help solve environmental problems, we can't create new environmental problems with our technology," Sokol says.

It's a good story and it indicates what we've learned about Chaun-Fu: he believes in his product. The rest of the story highlights some of the advantages the company faces and the challenges still ahead. [Fortune]

The "ferrous oxide" battery technology developed by BYD, if it lives up to their own somewhat fantastic claims of 250 miles on a full charge, is far superior to anything currently being delivered or promised by an automaker. In fact, the closest anyone has come to offering similar technology is a claim by Chrysler regarding their Dodge Circuit EV. In their press release they state the EV should achieve "zero tailpipe emissions and 150-200 mile driving range" if it comes to production.

While BYD hopes to sell their F3DM, F6DM and E6 vehicles into North America, the company has admitted they're happy to license their technology to automakers. We spoke with David Sokol, CEO of MidAmerican Holding Company, the Warren Buffett-owned subsidiary who purchased a 10% stake in BYD based on their capabilities. As MidAmerican is one of the largest commercial electric suppliers and biggest holders of renewable energies, the partnership with BYD made sense for MidAmerican.

But in speaking with Mr. Sokol he was frank in explaining the partnership which will bring BYD technology to the market the quickest is one with another automaker and, according to him, they've been speaking with domestic and foreign companies for approximately four months. They won't divulge who they're speaking with, but we'd like to point out Chrysler President Tom Lasorda was seen hanging around the BYD announcement this morning.

There are two main reasons for doing this. First, another manufacturer would be able to utilize their own existing production capacity and dealer network to create and package the cars. Second, as Sokol admitted, the fit-and-finish of their vehicles is probably the largest shortcoming. This was highlighted by the fact they had him doing interviews in front of a sign for BYD with the company's "Build Your Dreams" tagline written out in script with the first "r" missing. Our awesome videographer Kyle Conner fixes it for him at one point, which is hilarious.

While we can't be for sure whose dream it is to have BYD design them a battery pack, but we've already described the vehicle from Chrysler as fantasies.

The E6 features a far more advanced exterior design than most of BYD's models and, in pure electric mode, can carry five passengers an estimated 249 miles. By comparison, Ford's long-range electric car planned for 2011 goes 100 miles on a single charge. Like a conventional electric car, it can juice up in approximately eight hours with a conventional charge. With a high-capacity power charger it will be able to achieve a full charge in three hours. Amazingly, at a fast-charge station the car can quick-charge to 50% in ten minutes, allowing someone to travel an estimated 120 miles.

The BYD battery pack is capable of producing at minimum approximately 101 HP but, with a full battery pack and larger motor, an estimated 269 HP. The full configuration will, according to the company, propel the vehicle to 60 MPH in less than eight seconds with a top speed of approximately 100 MPH.

The E6 concept remains a concept, though one BYD seems intent on producing.

The first thing to note about the BYD F3DM is not the drivetrain; we've seen vehicles promising electric power backed by a small gas motor before. It's the design, which is a blend of decade-old Japanese design, is also not particularly noteworthy. The first key is the battery.

The ferrous battery pack in the F3DM apparently requires no expensive heavy metals. It's also apparently recyclable. It gives the BYD enough power to drive 62 miles without using a drop of gas. Unlike most other battery alternatives, a user can quick-charge the vehicle and achieve half the electric range in just 10 minutes at a special charging station. A full charge takes the industry standard six-to-eight hours to fully charge while a high power charging station can do the job in three hours.

The second thing to note is the participation of Warren Buffett, who owns 10% of BYD through Berkshire Hathway. Why did Buffett buy a Chinese electric car company? One of his biggest holdings is in MidAmerican Energy, which through its subsidiaries is one of the nation's largest energy providers. MidAmerican can provide the power to "fuel" these electric vehicles.

The final aspect to consider is BYD is ready to sell these cars, at a low price of approximately $22,000, in China. Since the F3DM is already on sale, perhaps it would be better to call the Volt the American F3DM.