First Plug-in hybrid to market?

[i_am_socket]

Found this link laying around on Slashdot:
BYD Launches China's First Electric Car For Nearly $22,000

Here's slightly more technically detailed article: LINK

The iron based battery is an interesting idea. Think it'll catch on?

[Matt Herring]

Here's some links to see what it looks like...

Google Image Result for http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/f3dm.png

Google Image Result for http://www.treehugger.com/F6-byd-chinese-hybrid-468.jpg

Google Image Result for http://images.rednet.cn/articleimage/2008%5C12%5C15%5C17305420.jpg

Google Image Result for http://www.salon-auto.ch/multimedia/images/img_traitees/2008/03/byd_f3dm3_05_03_08_enimages_small.jpg

Google Image Result for http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0015846aWo9AF/610x.jpg

[Intrigued]

Must be the Nickel-Iron Battery they are using. It has some interesting characteristics...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-iron_battery

I did a paper last semester on battery technologies, and discovered that the aluminum-air batteries Aluminium battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia have by far the best energy output per size or weight, but are only "mechanically rechargeable." Someone really needs to be working on a rechargeable version of these. EVs would become so much more viable almost overnight!!!

EDIT: It looks as if they may be using the LiFePo (one of the lithium batteries), and calling it Fe...