DOT is a bare minimum. It still needs to go through NHTSA crash testing. IIHS is voluntary.
We already have Chinese EVs on the road here - it’s called a BYD bus. I rode in a few in LA. They’re odd but they move quick.
Chinese EV Thoughts? Curious on more technical info
- Thread starter nobb
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We already have Chinese EVs on the road here - it’s called a BYD bus. I rode in a few in LA. They’re odd but they move quick.
Zee09
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I have dealt directly with the Chinese for years in the past but found them very arrogant and Taiwan was far better and cheaper when you figured in the freight.
This was on machinery and parts.
I'm not interested in supporting our demise
This was on machinery and parts.
I'm not interested in supporting our demise
And to think only a few years ago it was $1 an hour or so. The China wages have rapidly risen.
have a look at the euro NCAP tests, and compare them to traditional brands.
I'm not interested in any car that requires plugging in, from a cost perspective living in a city so bound to commercial chargers. That's why I haven't looked seriously at EV's but I did get a Bjrn Nyland YT video in my feed where he drives and charges an MG 4 X-power in the Norwegian winter. He commented the seats were better than you get in a Tesla, and the battery didn't cold gate (at the temps he was seeing, around 0°F) so could be charged at 140kWh without pre-conditioning.
the efficiency wasn't as high as some other cars though, and around 11% battery charge the car secerely limits engine power,though I agree with that; on full power that would be 1 minute of driving left, at the limited power about 10 minutes. And as close as charging stations are, they're always more than 1 minute away when you absolutely need one. Same with fuel stations....
The closest comparative testing your will find on the Chinese Ev's is done by Bjorn Nyland.
He runs just about every EV from everyone through a 1000Km timed test and posts his experiences.
They aren't class leading and exhibit many issues that were solved a decade ago by others.
He runs just about every EV from everyone through a 1000Km timed test and posts his experiences.
They aren't class leading and exhibit many issues that were solved a decade ago by others.
That's my thoughts too. As Canadians not only are we getting screwed over in our exchange rate, but most of the new car offering suck due to how overpriced they are for what you are getting. Then add the typical greasy dealership experience ontop of that.
Would I get a cheap bare bones Chinese EV for $20k...no, but I can see a substantial part of the population that would benefit from them for daily use.
Seeing and riding these EVs in person completely changed my perception of Chinese EVs. Of course I'd prefer a Toyota or Honda. But when a brand new 4Runner or Tacoma is costing $70k+ these days, that changes things.
I probably should have added it's not only Chinese EVs, but there existed electrified versions of many Japanese models like Corolla, Accord, CRV, etc.. Although uncompetitive from a purely price standpoint against Chinese EVs, they were effectively the same Japanese platforms that we get here. So I wonder why we can't get these here if there is a brand perception issue.
I have a friend in HK who owns one, and a few who absolutely refuse to own one. Here's the summary I got from them:
1) China has no significant amount of oil unlike US, Canada, Australia, etc. They have to either rely on import through being not hostile with the US (we rule the sea), or being at least reasonable enough relationship with Russia while not being forced into a bad deal like the days before USSR broke up. They at least have some coals and are putting out a heck of a lot of solar and nuclear, so between oil and electric, they absolutely should choose electric.
2) They tax vehicles like many nations on earth without a majority driving population. Most vehicles are for suburb and casual urban driving so they don't need the 300 miles range like US population do, EV is fine for them.
3) They need a way to catch up without decades of industrial experience like US, Europe, Japan, etc so the fastest way is through EV. This fix a lot of their weakness in their own auto industry real quick. It is very easy to build a car with better NVH if they are EV than a 3 cylinder gas engine.
4) It is for their own government or leadership bragging and promotion need. It is not as important as profitability like the capitalism economy. It can be used to stimulate their own economy if they do it right so they don't need to import as many auto parts or partnership with foreign automakers. Their currency is controlled so they aren't freely exchanged and float in the international market so this keep their money back home.
5) Their population has lower standard and many are still on their 1st or 2nd car in their lives, so their EV is not the same as what we would demand in the US.
Will I buy a Chinese EV if I live in the US? If I were to buy one it better be a Lexus or Toyota, or at least match Chevy Bolt in quality. I don't think they are there yet if they were to sell for the same price exported to here. If I live in China, maybe the math will be different and it would be a good deal there. What we buy and what they buy are completely different vehicles.
1) China has no significant amount of oil unlike US, Canada, Australia, etc. They have to either rely on import through being not hostile with the US (we rule the sea), or being at least reasonable enough relationship with Russia while not being forced into a bad deal like the days before USSR broke up. They at least have some coals and are putting out a heck of a lot of solar and nuclear, so between oil and electric, they absolutely should choose electric.
2) They tax vehicles like many nations on earth without a majority driving population. Most vehicles are for suburb and casual urban driving so they don't need the 300 miles range like US population do, EV is fine for them.
3) They need a way to catch up without decades of industrial experience like US, Europe, Japan, etc so the fastest way is through EV. This fix a lot of their weakness in their own auto industry real quick. It is very easy to build a car with better NVH if they are EV than a 3 cylinder gas engine.
4) It is for their own government or leadership bragging and promotion need. It is not as important as profitability like the capitalism economy. It can be used to stimulate their own economy if they do it right so they don't need to import as many auto parts or partnership with foreign automakers. Their currency is controlled so they aren't freely exchanged and float in the international market so this keep their money back home.
5) Their population has lower standard and many are still on their 1st or 2nd car in their lives, so their EV is not the same as what we would demand in the US.
Will I buy a Chinese EV if I live in the US? If I were to buy one it better be a Lexus or Toyota, or at least match Chevy Bolt in quality. I don't think they are there yet if they were to sell for the same price exported to here. If I live in China, maybe the math will be different and it would be a good deal there. What we buy and what they buy are completely different vehicles.
Hybrid?
It is one thing to invent something that is cost prohibitive, but it is another to make them affordable and durable.
IMO Elon and team Tesla are going to have their hands full with the Chinese offerings. It's already happening, much faster than some here imagined. Time as always will tell, but the writing is on the wall.
I will try my best to guess. They are compromising something unimportant to them (i.e. lower durability parts, lower quality interior, compromise on some safety standard, etc) and they got some deals from their locally sourced components that won't do well in the US (tariff, or China giving subsidies to help their own market, etc).
You can't sell a Kei car in the US despite them being everywhere in Japan for the same reason.
I strongly suspect that a Chinese EV is far more likely to burn down your house.
I strongly suspect you're wrong as even Tesla buys batteries from China.
A lot is said of that, but yet Tesla still has higher parts content than anyone else.
See above.
They build them to throw them away. Not sure how good that makes them, but they do have A LOT of practice.
They built a plant right across the street from the largest battery plant in the world (CATL) because they're dependent on them.
Even taking Chinese EVs out of the equation, seeing the electrified platforms from Honda/Toyota/Mazda...makes you realize Tesla isn't even that great when you compare for example a Model Y build quality vs the electrified Mazda CX series.
Tesla is only riding based on brand perception and their charging network. Of which the brand is taking a huge nosedive everywhere internationally. Even in the Chinese market, people are buying Tesla for the image when there are likely local offerings that may be better for the price.
That is the fleet / taxi vehicles that went through boom and bust cycles. Some are build to meet government subsidies requirement and some are just start up went bust. A lot of their EV companies are just local gov stimulus program that will eventually go bust and be absorbed into the major players.
The retail market build vehicles seems to do ok except Xiaomi. Xiaomi seems to cut so much corners that they were getting slaughtered in online reviews and owners complain (things not even related to electric like touch screen freezing or seat fabric peeling).
Tesla follows the move fast and break things model unlike the Japanese. Tesla release something 3-5 years early and sometimes too early to be stable. If you compare a 3-5 year old Tesla to a new Toyota or Mazda obviously Toyota / Mazda would be better, but that's what you get for being early though for better or worse.
Tesla apparently is more expensive than any local chinese offering. But that in itself can be a selling poit, nothing says you've made it like having the most expensive car everyone knows about.
