- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
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I would mind less if the American auto industry was producing affordable lightweight EVs…
Or cars with any level of quality.
Hey man the Toyota I drive was made in the USA, it’s great.
And yet we aren’t bending over backwards to protect Toyota.
Best we can do is a four ton truck.
To that end, this means we would need to lower standards, use some forced labor, and increase taxes to increase subsidies in order to compete.
Republicans would shoot down the subsidies.
No it literally wouldn’t. It’s absolutely possible to produce smaller lightweight vehicles with the exact same standards. But unfortunately we’ve all been pushed towards larger vehicles. Simply because they make more money on them.
The push towards large vehicles was due to the fact that they used a truck chassis, and were exempt from safety and emissions requirements of a “car”
Not if it’s electric (for emissions)
While true, the general cultural preference for larger vehicles will inherently carryover to when people are deciding what EV to buy.
I’d love a 2015 sized Ford ranger that’s fully electric.
I want a 1995 ranger that’s electric, those things were great
Unfortunately producing a smaller affordable car for the average person would fall under “lower standards” 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
It doesn’t matter what size car Americans build, they simply can’t compete. Larger vehicles are a cultural preference and fits the American environment.
If this was true, the Chinese EVs could be allowed in and no one would buy them. I personally want a smaller car that can comfortably seat 5 and has additional safety and comfort features (backup cameras, lane assist, heat pump climate control, etc.). This could easily be done with a sedan, hatchback, or station wagon. The only cars that have these features that I know of are SUVs.
Not exactly true when they’re selling them for $10k-$15k. The Bolt is comparable to a Chinese EV and they only sell around 2k per month while something like the Model 3 sells 50k per month.
If you lowered the price of the Bolt to the price of a 10 year old used Camry, I’m sure it would sell a lot better but this is an artificial price that completely distorts the market and puts a lot of people out of work for what amounts to a temporary savings. This is the whole point of tariffs. They level the playing field for everyone.
They discontinued the Bolt. They needed the factory for trucks.
Where I live, the base model of the Chevy Bolt is $41k, and doesn’t have heat pump climate control (or isn’t talking about it). It also doesn’t look like it would seat 5 comfortably. Now, even without the spectre of financially supporting Elon’s antics, I don’t see a lot of reason to pay another $10k for a reasonably similar car. People are weird. 🤷♂️
Often what people say they want and what they actually spend their money on are not even in the same ballpark. This reminds me of all the guys from /r/Cars who’d say they dream of some stripped down vehicle with crank windows and no features but when manufacturers make them, nobody actually buys them.
Nah
I think they’re a preference of the motor industry who want you to buy more expensive cars.
Just producing EV versions of Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta like what the Chinese EV makers do is enough. Instead, they keep producing EVs with luxury features (and high price tags) then surprised people won’t buy them without subsidy.
You’re describing the Bolt and it sells terribly here. The Model 3 outsells it 20:1 in any given month.
The Bolt isn’t cheap though (almost 2x of Honda Fit price), and wasn’t produced in sufficient quantity. The Chinese EV companies are somehow able to produce entry level EV models with minimal features at a price cheaper than Honda Fit and they’re selling like hot cakes both domestically and in neighboring Asian countries.
With the $7500 credit, the Bolt is the same price or slightly cheaper than the Fit when you account for inflation.
China is able to sell these vehicles for this cheap because the government is giving these companies cash to sell them at these artificially low prices. That’s the whole point of this discussion and the proposed tariffs as none of the competition will be receiving subsidies at these levels in order to compete. China is also known for lax worker protections which helps to drive the costs down further at the expense of the workforce and is not something they’ll be able to do if they manufacture here.
Are they still doing the EV credit thing?
Subsidy definitely helps, but those Chinese car manufacturers are able to squeeze their parts suppliers hard, so they’re able to sell their cars cheaper even without subsidy. For example, their gasoline cars are about half the price of comparable Japanese models, even with engines sourced from GM/Ford.
We already use slave labor in the guise of prisoners. How low do we need to go?
…that go straight into the landfill?
No, I’d prefer they get used. What an odd question.
It’s not really an odd question from that particular user, if you consider the context that they have an agenda; FUD and misinformation about EVs.
Then China shouldn’t subsidize its manufacturers’ exports while increasing the burden for foreign companies to compete internally. If anyone thinks China cornering the global EV market is a good long term plan, they are naive.
The US subsidizes american car companies too. Pot calling the kettle and all.
We subsidize exports? Show me.
Where does that say anything about exports? The article is talking about US factories and this coincides with the federal government implementing stricter fuel standards on these same manufacturers. This money is to help them ease into developing brand new platforms after implementing stricter standards.
Furthermore, that $15B is a drop in the bucket for what China is subsidizing. That equates to about a single quarters worth of subsidies for a company like BYD in order to sell their cars for $10k-$15k out the door.
BYD doesn’t sell their cars abroad for $10-$15k.
I don’t see how they’re going to pass the safety regulations here and in the EU. A ton of their ICE vehicles never made it here because they’re dangerously designed and built.
The Volvo EX30 is based on a Geely platform, made in China, and does well in the EU (won several Car of the Year awards).
MG (SAIC/Roewe) also has no trouble selling in the EU.
Chinese manufacturers can make regulatory-conforming cars when the market demands it of them. If the market wants cheap and doesn’t demand safety, they can do that too.
That’s not %100, the EX30 is still engineered and developed in Switzerland and pretty much everything MG wise, was and still, is developed in the UK…yes both are owned by Chinese companies, but it doesn’t mean the products are solely Chinese. You are correct they can build cars that are designed to conform to western markets with much stricter regulations, but I don’t think they’re going to do so without significant input from branches in these countries.
Then the cheap EV’s doesn’t matter if they are not legal.
And the Volvo was not based on Geely. It was the other way around. They bought Volvo for this purpose exactly.
But I hope they will make better EV’s for the world. EV’s are generally just better cars, and it’s a clear road to less noise and toxic pollution.
They’re already selling in Europe. To good reviews.
China charges nearly double for its EVs outside of the Chinese market. They tend to do what most companies do, charge the highest price that people will still pay. China domestically is the most competitive market in the world, so they have $10,000 high quality EVs, but they don’t have to do that elsewhere and so they don’t.
So you admit the cars are better and cheaper?
“We want expensive American EVs that most people can’t afford, not cheap Chinese ones…”
China is subsidizing EV production and selling cars below cost. Allowing them to be sold in the US would kill the domestic EV market. How is that better for Americans?
Americans get cheaper EVs and the legacy auto industry gets taught a valuable lesson as companies who refused to modernize go bankrupt.
Americans get cheaper EVs…
For a few years, until the American automakers go bankrupt, as you said, then the Chinese automakers increase prices 10x.
…and the legacy auto industry gets taught a valuable lesson as companies who refused to modernize go bankrupt.
What a valuable lesson, get subsidized by an authoritarian government so that you can offer vehicles below cost. Also be sure to add spyware for the aforementioned authoritarian government.
Do you even understand what below cost means? No amount of modernization will counteract it.
until the American automakers go bankrupt, as you said, then the Chinese automakers increase prices 10x.
Americans can also buy EVs from countries other than China. America can also subsidise internal EV production.
My point is that we shouldn’t give a fuck about petrol loving manufacturers.
What a valuable lesson.
Respond to user demand and environmental pressure.
Don’t arrogantly assume your polluting product will remain market leader.
Don’t build ever bigger vehicles just to avoid particular regulations.
Do you even understand what below cost means?
Yes. Would you like some oil industry case studies?
No amount of modernization will counteract it.
Have you heard of R&D investment, continual process improvement and economies of scale?
You’re literally just talking to yourself, ignoring any mention of selling below cost, which is the biggest issue, with spyware being a close 2nd.
You’re literally just talking to yourself,
They responded
ignoring any mention of selling below cost, which is the biggest issue,
Adressed twice.
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Suggesting subsidies should be given to American EV manufacturers
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Investing to lower costs.
with spyware being a close 2nd.
You think US products won’t have spyware?
They responded
You’re saying “they”, but it’s you. And no you didn’t, repeating what you said before isn’t addressing the issues.
Adressed twice.
Never addressed at all, you pivoted to the oil industry. You didn’t address the subsidies from China or the unfair trade practices.
America will not subsidize to that level, if they could, and no amount of innovation is going to combat subsidization or the unfair trade practices.
According to a Bloomberg article, China will sell EVs at under $10,000, undercutting the price of the average American EV by $50,000. Are you seriously arguing that “investment to lower cost” will reduce the cost by 85-90%? That’s simply a ludicrous assertion.
You think US products won’t have spyware?
I don’t think that collecting anonymized usage data, is the same as unlimited spying going back to an authoritarian government. So no, absolutely nothing comparable.
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Tell me you know nothing about Chinese EVs without saying you know nothing about Chinese EVs.
Did we lose our industry when the Japanese auto manufacturers entered our market? When the Koreans did?
What’s different this time?
For a few years
Yeah cause car dependency is a completely unsustainable scam that’s literally destroying the planet.
get subsidized by an authoritarian government
Is it really so much better to by subsidized by an colonial/imperial government (that’s also authoritarian)?
Do you even understand what below cost means?
Yes. It’s an ideological term that promotes imaginary numbers over social reality.
wasn’t that the whole point of capitalism anyways? /s
They aren’t exporting them below cost, that’s why they want to export. Inside China every company tried to start an EV division because they heard Apple was doing it and assumed it must be a good idea. Now the market is topped out and the biggest companies are trying to price the smaller ones out of business (which still isn’t below manufacturing cost because China regulates that and is nervous about having tons of cars from bankrupt companies on the road). They export with a huge profit margin to make up for the domestic price war.
Also by claiming “developing nation”, which is up to the nation to decide for themselves instead of having someone else decide for them, the planet’s second largest economy gets to claim WTO rules that the recipient (country) pays delivery. That’s why you can buy something from China for $1.50 and yet it costs $150 to send it back if it doesn’t work.
With how china keeps implanting everything with spyware, I agree to keep them away from the heavy tech incorporated cars. Really wish we could transition away from using chinese shit
All auto manufacturers put spyware in their cars now. This isn’t a china problem, this is an everyone problem. We need anti-spyware laws that apply to everyone.
I agree, but in the meantime lets not make it that easy…
It’s that easy. They can and do already buy most of that data from American companies anyways.
Rip all the computer shit out of your car and slap a carburetor on it, problem solved.
Oh? More spyware than GM selling your data to your insurance company? More spyware than all of the stuff your smartphone collects?
It’s absolutely a bad faith argument to say we can’t have Chinese cars because they conduct industry standard data scraping.
The whataboutism doesn’t help. It’s a wrong practice regardless of nationality. But since the house and senate is bought by the corporations, at the very least ban those who you can.
It’s not a whataboutism when that’s the other choice. This isn’t out of left field. I can buy Chinese data scraping, Japanese data scraping, Korean data scraping, German data scraping, or American data scraping.
Right now Germany actually wins that contest because GDPR just might have an impact.
A whataboutism would be me talking about American labor practices in farming. Not great, but also not relevant.
I agree. If this were actually addressing the problem in question (bad faith actors harvesting data) then sure, but it isn’t really because the other options are still suffering from the same problem. If anything, this entire discussion is a whataboutism to avoid talking about how more electric cars lets us phase out the ice ones.
I wasn’t going to go there because projection is, unfortunately, very effective at making the other party look immature when they correctly call you on it. But yes the entire discussion of data harvesting is a whataboutism. It’s not relevant unless someone stops doing it.
Something something free market
Might be a valid argument if China didn’t play currency games.
Also, the protectionist in me wants American heavy industry to continue to exist.
Imagine believing that China is the only country playing “currency games”.
It’s all just imaginary numbers based on printed paper.
I want American heavy industry to be good enough to continue to exist. Otherwise we’re just a house of cards waiting for a stiff wind.
Hey, capitalism is only good when it makes the rich richer…
China flooding the market with cheap EVs still makes the rich richer… Just different rich people in a different country.
Right… Except the average person, we can’t have that
Yes, but then the more people can afford to buy EVs. Under the current system you need to be well off to buy one, vs an ICE.
The free market is propaganda to trick people into thinking capitalism is somehow ethically solvent.
Obligatory fuck cars
What’s the problem with EVs?
It partially fixes a single problem of the many caused by car-dependency and car-centric infrastructure
They partially solve the fuel and the bad air problems. In exchange they damage roads way more (I recall reading that the damage is proportional to the vehicle weight to the fourth power, probably with some more nuance) and that also creates substantially more rubber micro particle pollution. They also happen to be more dangerous in the event of a crash. Plus the additional challenges with grid load, which some people dismiss with silly ideas like having said cars act like load balancers (that would be a mess to scale).
In most cases, EVs are not a solution to mobility, they are a solution to save the car industry from real solutions to climate change, namely spamming trams, trains and buses (in sparse locations) all over the place.
(I recall reading that the damage is proportional to the vehicle weight to the fourth power, probably with some more nuance)
Yes. Road damage is based on vehicle weight. To the 4th power, yes. Heavier vehicles do exponentially more damage than lighter ones. https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/opinion/opinion-cars-have-a-weight-problem-and-its-damaging-more-than-the-environment/
But actually it’s based on axle weight. This is why Semis have many axles, to spread the weight out.
But actually it’s based on tire weight. This is why Semis have doubled wheels on their axles.
But actually it’s based on contact pressure. This is why Semis have wider tires than your standard car.
EVs are a step in the right direction.
However, EVs only change one aspect of cars: How they go vroom vroom.
They are still heavy metal boxes operated by random people. Most drivers suck (myself included probably), they are lazy and don’t follow the local law on driving.
They are absurdly dangerous, for people inside other cars, themselves, and pedestrian. Anytime someone goes too early with their car it’s potentially an accident with death causes. Same if they spin their funny wheel a little too much.
Imagine yourself overtaking a car on the highway. Now let’s say the driver slips by accident, wheel stairs to your sidey giant death machine crashes yours from the side, and its a horrible accident.
Besides that, car infrastructure is absurdly expensive, and becomes even more expensive Everytime it needs to be renewed. The city I was at school at is literally one of the poorest in my country after having endless money in the 70s, because they built too many roads. They built some roads not on the ground but in large pillars, and it’s literally falling apart.
Lastly, cars take up tons of public space. Cities designed (or rather bulldozed for) cars sprawl, need huge parking lots, huge streets, produce noise pollution, regular pollution.
There is much more but that should suffice for now.
That being said, I doubt we can ever go truly car free. Remote regions do not have enough people for good public transit to be maintainable, and the distances are often too long for walking or biking. Deliveries need some kind of individual vehicle. Some of that can be addressed with EVs and car sharing.
Sadly, EVs are being presented as the all around solution.
Go ahead and walk, no one is stopping you.
Ironically, cars are stopping me. Roads used to be for walking, and now they’re for cars. They gave us sidewalks and now some places don’t have them, and are unwalkable. The bike lanes either don’t exist or are too dangerous to use. It’s all roads and stroads now, with speed limits dangerous to pedestrians, and large SUVs meaning that car crashes with a pedestrian are more likely to end in death.
The amount of people in cars has also crippled public transportation. Buses aren’t quick, and there are so few of them in general. Not to mention the lack of high speed trains, and the inefficiency of our subways.
Giant parking lots with no cars took our parks. Took our public spaces. Took our nature. And they’re everywhere. Everywhere I look is dull, grey asphalt.
It’s depressing to be outside. And where would I walk to? Everything is too far away to walk to. It used to be a 5-15 minute walk away. Now it’s more like 40 minutes to hours…
I’m tired of human interests and public transportation being overlooked so that people can drive a couple minutes faster to their destination. When people in Europe, Japan, and China can just… get on a train.
Sorry for the rant but I hate this bs
I literally do that to go to work and university. I walk to my local train station 20 minutes and it’s amazing that I can. It makes me wake up, even as someone who hates to get up early and gives me time to listen to music, podcasts or think about personal stuff.
That being said, it’s not true that no one is stopping me. All those idiots that park in the sidewalk are stopping me. All those idiots that endanger me with their crappy super heavy metal boxes are stopping me. I literally have to stop when I want to cross the road.
And besides that, walking is only possible if you don’t live in a car infested hellscape (luckily I do for the most part). Otherwise, the next destination is hours away by walking, rendering it pointless, and walking becomes very dangerous.
Make them in Mexico. Less reliance on one country is better for everyone.
They’re trying to block mexican made Chinese vehicles as well. They don’t want Americans buying cheap evs.
Make them in USA.
They don’t want them to, they want you to keep using gas.
Make them on the moon!
Anti China Republicans are going to HATE this! They would MUCH rather Elect the man whose Daughter got over 70 patents FASTTRACKED in China once he was elected!
They would just put their hands on their ears and repeat “Hunter Biden laptop” until a scary fact like that one goes away.
If only he could extend that rationale to every industry
Protectionism only works in the VERY short term. If the USA doesn’t pull its finger out of its ass and make affordable good EVs, then its automotive industry will crash and burn. Because the rest of the world unaffected by tariffs will be buying Chinese (or Korean / European) EVs and not American ones because they’ll be expensive and suck.
I do t want the Chinese EVs because there falling apart exploding crushing more exploding and.there just not safe
Edit:Sorry about this I get political when I don’t sleep sorry about this
I’m interested in seeing the statistics for this, as I’m looking at a new ev and it would be nice to see.
Because you wouldn’t just make something up would you, you must have the figures to substantiate your claim.
Anecdotally cheap Chinese EVs are all over Costa Rica and even there they’re generally known to be garbage. Like how do you get a fairly car rusty in Costa Rica? Even if you live exclusively on the beach you’d have to have some really bad paint and 0 rust prevention done.
Which EV brands? Those Chinese EVs aren’t created equal, the good ones are great for its price, while the bad one should be named and shamed.
Thanks for providing some more information as it helps me find information to research with.
But Elong Musk’s shiny acute angle isn’t? You’re a fucking idiot.
Contrary to teslas that don’t explode and don’t rust. BYD is dominating with affordable EVs while other countries keep prices astronomically high.
No need to apologize when it’s true.
Removed by mod
As opposed to US built fire hazards using the same batteries?
Clearly that’s America smoke, which is far superior.
The US doesn’t control the supply chains. Biden subsidizes EVs as well. US labor is too expensive and the resale value of EVs are very poor. If there is a country that can make EVs cheap enough, it is China. The EU and US stand no chance. Even with safety standards and 27% tariffs, Chinese cars are still cheaper, and the quality is good. US currency is artificially too high. US traded in their manufacturing for financialization. This is a case where Joe Biden can’t beat the global market, with the rest of the world buying China. American EVs are a flop.
It’s not US labor that is the most costly, it’s US executives and c-suites
they really willing to throw the planet under the bus so they can protect their own oligarchs. so much for the free market.
Chinese EVs are piece of shit death-traps anyway that tend to explode for no reason.
