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> The average Chinese electric car is more akin to a really fast three-wheeled golf cart. that is simply not true. have you ever been to china? there are tons

> The average Chinese electric car is more akin to a really fast three-wheeled golf cart. that is simply not true. have you ever been to china? there are tons of electric sedans and SUVs on the road, and i would guess that greater than 80% of my didi (the chinese uber) rides while there for two weeks were electric vehicles. these vehicles were very nice (as good interior fit and finish and external design as a tesla) but obviously much cheaper, and there were multiple models from multiple manufacturers. sure, china also sells electric scooters and other types of vehicles, but china demolishes tesla's numbers for actual electric vehicles made and sold.

sandworm101 8y ago
Are we talking about EVs or cars? An EV is anything that moves. A car is something that abides are the normal safety standards that a company like tesla must follow (airbags, crumple zones, ABS, firewalls etc). Lots of the stuff in china that looks like a "car" really isn't, just as how an SUV or pickup isn't a car. In most countries, anything on three wheels isn't ever a car. They are basically classed as motorcycles and so don't have to abide any car-related safety rules. But they are still EVs.
- nikofeyn 8y ago
  in general, i don't know what you're talking about. i don't see how anyone could mistake one of these three-wheeled things for a car. it's clear i was talking about fully electric cars, and when i say car, i include SUVs. i don't know what the numbers are for electric vehicles that include these three-wheeled things and electric scooters. it's possible that the numbers add up to the majority of electric vehicles in china because there are a ton of electric scooters. in fact, while i was there, i would say 98% of the scooters were electric, and there were a lot of scooters. however, your comment is misleading in terms of implying there aren't any electric cars in china. there are, and there are lots of them. and i personally found them rather nice. it was a case of "wait, what car is this?!" nearly every time we got in a didi ride.
seanmcdirmid 8y ago
The BYD EVs used normally as taxis are basically Hyundai Genesis bodies with an electric drive train. I’ve never seen an SUV EV in China but I left in late 2016. In richer Beijing, many private EVs (not taxis or didi rentals) were Tesla Model S’s.
- est 8y ago
  > I’ve never seen an SUV EV in China but I left in late 2016 Chinese EVs models exploded during 2017 and 2018.
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    That has another meaning....

sandworm101 8y ago

Are we talking about EVs or cars? An EV is anything that moves. A car is something that abides are the normal safety standards that a company like tesla must follow (airbags, crumple zones, ABS, firewalls etc). Lots of the stuff in china that looks like a "car" really isn't, just as how an SUV or pickup isn't a car. In most countries, anything on three wheels isn't ever a car. They are basically classed as motorcycles and so don't have to abide any car-related safety rules. But they are still EVs.

nikofeyn 8y ago
in general, i don't know what you're talking about. i don't see how anyone could mistake one of these three-wheeled things for a car. it's clear i was talking about fully electric cars, and when i say car, i include SUVs. i don't know what the numbers are for electric vehicles that include these three-wheeled things and electric scooters. it's possible that the numbers add up to the majority of electric vehicles in china because there are a ton of electric scooters. in fact, while i was there, i would say 98% of the scooters were electric, and there were a lot of scooters. however, your comment is misleading in terms of implying there aren't any electric cars in china. there are, and there are lots of them. and i personally found them rather nice. it was a case of "wait, what car is this?!" nearly every time we got in a didi ride.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago

The BYD EVs used normally as taxis are basically Hyundai Genesis bodies with an electric drive train. I’ve never seen an SUV EV in China but I left in late 2016. In richer Beijing, many private EVs (not taxis or didi rentals) were Tesla Model S’s.

est 8y ago
> I’ve never seen an SUV EV in China but I left in late 2016 Chinese EVs models exploded during 2017 and 2018.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  That has another meaning....