BYD Electric Cab Fire and Three Fatalities not Battery’s Fault

AutoInformed.com

BYD shares have been declining all year now about -40%. It also trades on the Hong Kong exchange where shares are down ~80%. Berkshire Hathaway owns 10% of the company, hoping to make money on the Chinese EV market.

An investigation by the Shenzhen government into an accident and fire between a BYD e6 electric vehicle and a Nissan sports car that killed three people in May concludes that the battery pack was not at fault, according to a BYD filing with the Shenzhen stock exchange.

A Nissan GT-R traveling at 242km/h – 150 mph – hit a BYD e6 taxi traveling in the same direction at 81km/h. The first impact sent the cab careening out of control, which then resulted in a second impact in to a roadside tree, whereupon the e6 completely burned. The cab driver and two passengers perished.

The rear end of the EV  and the battery compartment were severely deformed, and the power battery pack and high voltage switchbox were compressed, causing damage to part of the power batteries and a short-circuit, according to the report by the Shenzhen Academy of Metrology and Quality Inspection. High voltage lines of the high voltage distribution box and the body of the car short-circuited, producing electric arcs which ignited the interior materials of the vehicle and part of the power batteries, which are a variation of  the latest lithium ion technology.

BYD, owned 10% by Berkshire Hathaway, shares have been declining all year (-40%)  also trades on the Hong Kong stock exchange where the shares are down about 80%. BYD said in April that its first half net profit will fall by 75% to 95%  as growth in the Chinese economy slows. The accident and grizzly pictures widely circulated in China put additional pressure on the stock price.

See also: Windsor, Canada to Buy Chinese BYD Electric Buses

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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