Chery launches electric car prototype

Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile Co. has produced a prototype of its first alternative-energy vehicle. The S18 electric car travels 120-150 kilometers (km) on one charge, and can be fully charged in four to six hours using a 220-volt home outlet, the automaker said. However, Chery didn’t say when the S18 would be mass-produced. The company revealed plans to build six new factories in countries including Thailand, Russia, Argentina and Uruguay this year, in a bid to meet its 2009 sales goal of 156,000 units. Meanwhile, in China’s neighboring country Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Administration unveiled in February the country’s first domestically manufactured electric bus. Made by PowerTech Auto Tech Corp., the bus is powered by a Li-ion battery that can be fully charged within an hour and can travel between 300 km and 400 km on each charge. It is expected to go into mass production in 2010. (February 20, 2009)