Consumer Trend Alert: Eco-Living Sub Trends

Part 4 in a Five-Part Series

Here comes “now made in China” with a green twist.  Expect to hear from many more Chinese manufacturers hopping onto the green bandwagon this year. We’re not saying it’s going to be “now made well in China,” but still…

Shenzhen-based automotive company BYD has announced plans to be the first to mass-market electric cars in China late 2009 or early 2010, with plans to ultimately market the cars in Europe and North America. The BYD e6 can go 300 km on a single full charge and will retail in China for CNY 200,000 (approximately $29,000 in the U.S.). BYD’s gasoline-electric hybrid F6DM can be plugged into a home electric outlet and is capable of traveling 100 km with a full charge, and will retail for CNY 150,000 (approximately $22,000 in the U.S.). Both BYD cars are safer than other electric cars because of the lithium ion battery technology BYD has developed, which uses iron phosphate as one of the main electrode materials to keep the batteries from exploding from overheating.