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China's BYD Automobile Co Ltd said Tuesday that it will start to sell rechargeable electric cars in Israel by 2009, then in other European markets in the following years, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"BYD plans to sell BYD E6 Electric and Plug-in Hybrid F6DM in Israel, a country that strongly supports environmental technologies," a BYD executive in charge of the company's export operations said.

The Israeli government announced early this year an ambitious plan to install the world's first electric car network in Israel by 2011. Moreover, the country offers big tax cuts for electric cars.

BYD's E6 electric vehicles, set for sale in 2009 in Israel, will be a 5-seater with an acceleration of 0 to 100 kph in around 10 seconds. Its top speed should be160 kph (100 mph), and the battery pack, which is located under the rear passenger seats, will be based on BYD's own lithium-ion iron phosphate technology.

The F6DM hybrid is a mid-sized sedan to be launched in China later this year. It has a top speed of 100 mph (160 kph), with a range of 62 miles (100 km) in the all-electric mode and 267 miles (430 km) total after the gas engine kicks in. A fully electric version called the F6E is planned for 2009 debut.