[3] The F3DM is the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid automobile and went on sale to government agencies and corporations in China on December 15, 2008.

[13] A testing program was launched in the U.S. in December 2010 with the participation of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA).

[27] The F3DM has a roof-mounted large solar panel capable of providing electric energy to run vehicle accessories such as the radio and climate control.

At that point, the F3DM's 1-liter 3-cylinder engine kicks in to bring the battery charge as close as possible to 30%, effectively extending the range of the vehicle just like the Chevrolet Volt does.

[26] BYD calls the F3DM is a dual-mode vehicle because it allows the driver to manually switch from all-electric to plug-in hybrid operation.

[6] The premium price of the plug-in and lack of government subsidies are the main reasons cited by BYD for slow sales; others mention poor quality and "crude transitions" between electric and gasoline power.

[32] As the F3DM nearly doubles the price of cars that run on conventional fuel, BYD expects subsidies from the local government to make the plug-in affordable to personal buyers.

[7] On June 1, 2010, the Chinese government announced a trial program to provide incentives to carmakers up to 50,000 yuan (~US$7,320) for plug-in hybrids that will benefit residents in five cities: Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei and Changchun.

[10][11][12] Source:[36] A testing program was launched in December 2010 with the participation of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), which leased ten F3DMs for US$400 a month for one year.

[3] In October 2011 BYD opened its headquarters in Los Angeles, a year behind schedule, and announced that retail sales will be delayed due to the lack of charging infrastructure.