In China, It’s Already Cheaper to Buy EVs Than Gasoline Cars::undefined

  • thedarkfly@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    Are the US and EU late, or is it a deliberate business decision from EV car manufacturers to aim for bigger and luxury cars because they make more profit?

    • Astroturfed@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      China is subsidizing EV companies crazy hard. They brought musk in with Tesla to steal all his tech and train their workers to do it too. So bonus points for exploiting Elons hubris and ego. He was going to be first American company to be a leader in the Chinese market without them stealing all his tech. Crazy it didn’t work out.

      • cyd@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The timeline doesn’t add up. Chinese EV makers, including BYD, were building crazy momentum long before Musk set up shop in Shanghai (which was in 2018). It’s only come to the attention of the outside world in the last couple of years when their EVs started to get exported at scale, but before they’ve been brewing this industry for a long time. BYD shipped its first compact EV domestically in 2009.

        • Astroturfed@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yes, because there’s no way 5 years is enough time to steal technology and manufacturing techniques and distribute them throughout an industry with a web of government industrial spies. They never do this type of thing so it would take 20 years. I’m sure BYD is making cars exactly like they were 5 years ago. Technology moves so slowly.

          Oh, a quick search shows of BYD cars shows me their cars up until around that time looked like a cheap kia from the early 2000s and now the new models look weirdly like a Tesla. I’m sure that’s complete coincidence though. China with it’s super strict IP laws and parents should never steal anything.

          • gens@programming.dev
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            1 year ago

            China has many more competent engineers then… any other country. They often steal ideas (everybody does), and even whole designs (less of everybody does). But i doubt they stole anything for ev-s. Making the “car” part is harder then the “electric part”, especially for china.

          • nodiratime@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Imagine thinking a “theft” of the idea of a trash can looking like a futuristic car dreamed of by kids in the 90s is something to cry over.

      • orangeboats@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Tell me you know nothing about Chinese EVs without telling me you know nothing about Chinese EVs. BYD’s best sellers are actually plug-in hybrids, which is in no way “stolen” from Tesla.

        • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          Whatever happened to hybrids? Why did we all the sudden decide we need to push for 100% electric nationwide?

          • tony@lemmy.hoyle.me.uk
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            1 year ago

            Hybrids were an necessity when large batteries weren’t feasable (in the first Leaf, for example, the 24kw battery was about 80% of the cost, it’s amazing they could sell it at a profit at all).

            Falling prices and increased capacity means that isn’t really the case any more, and it’s not really worth the complexity of a hybrid.

          • AA5B@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Hybrids were a great transition technology that never got as widespread as it should have, but now pure EVs are practical, and approach legacy car prices. They’re still a little high but it’s in the ballpark enough that the low operating cost make it worthwhile

    • Franzia
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      1 year ago

      We’re late. Our competition sucks (almost certainly on purpose). BYD is taking the slow approach to the US market - early next decade? Reuters: BYD Global EV Push

      The US car manufacturers are going to take a protectionist approach to a shrinking market. They’ve already won this decade - everybone has a massive truck/SUV, no transit, all cars including EVs are an unaffordable luxury to Americans now after “inflation.”

      • arc@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        The US has protectionist rules about EV grants - car must be assembled in the US to receive tax credits. It’s why Teslas sold in the US are assembled in the US whereas Teslas sold in Canada are made in China. There are some comments that the Chinese manufactured cars are actually better quality. It probably also explains why Chinese brands like BYD are focussing more on other markets like Europe.

      • SCB@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s also because, despite subsidies, shipping costs for materials for EVs (and the necessary factory upgrades) are expensive domestically, but this infrastructure already exists, alongside a very willing market that does not have a political identity tied to ICE engines.

        A little bit of Bud Light phobia, a little bit of logistics and retooling costs, and a little bit of government subsidies (of both fuel and ICE engines themselves at all steps of production) all comes together to prolong the life of the ICE in the US.