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BYD has a new EV for 70k rmb, around $10k. And another one for around $13k, and so on. So it's not a one off.

Cars are getting massively cheaper. I don't see why you'd pay $50k for one.

BYD is interesting. I've not seen them advertising as much as other brands. Just spotted one being shown in a shopping centre about a year ago, then they start popping up all over the place. I expect to see a huge number of them soon - they're permanently out of stock the whole time as far as I can tell. They provide the non-luxury thing that most people want/can afford and will make a killing while other manufacturers fumble around.

BYD and ORA (Great Wall) are both operating in Ireland. I've sat in them, not driven, but they seem fairly well-put-together on the surface. The little ORA Funky Cat city car is adorable, though not exactly cheap as chips at €32000 for the entry-level model. After Mozilla's damning recent analysis of the major car brands' user privacy [1], however, I'd be very curious to know what data the Chinese EVs are sending back, and to whom.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37404413

Those cheapest EVs are tiny hatchbacks that really aren't popular here, and they use batteries that charge much slower. The US market has an expectation of bigger is better, and even "economy" cars have features on them you'd only find on luxury cars not that long ago. Pushing back against that culture is a challenge.

The US market will buy small cars but US small is bigger than Asia or Europe small.

A Bolt or Nissan Leaf with NACS fast charge and a bit better looks will sell pretty well. The Tesla model 3 sells.

I agree. I just don't think we'll see cars like BYD is selling.

I'd love to see one of the typical 4-door 4-cylinder "economy" cars like the Sentra, Corolla, or Civic with an EV transmission.

That’s why I quoted $20k not $10k. The floor is higher in the US market. But people definitely will buy something like an improved Leaf or Bolt.

The main point is not the price though, it's the infrastructure and the fast obsolescence of batteries. There are no batteries currently that will last the life of a car, so what do you do when they quit ? Replace them, for what price ? I might get an EV in 10 years or so, when there is a clear vision for infrastructure and battery technology.

I think it is price. Here I see cars with batteries that last well enough for 10+ years, and I'm confident that the price will drop over time if I keep one long enough to actually want to replace it. Along with all the other parts that wear out. Over here I think new car buyers won't tend to drive their cars into the ground, with cars on the road after 20 years generally having been purchased second hand. I don't know how the second hand market or resale value of EVs will look.

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