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Comment by ryandrake | Hacker News Reader

I'd love to see them pull this off in the USA. The cheapest new EV is what, still the Bolt EV at ~$30K? Ridiculous. We need something to provide downward pressure on prices. If they could actually sell it for $10K in the USA, it would be cheaper than even the cheapest gas cars. DO IT!

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What I would love to buy is something between a street legal golf cart and a Nissan Leaf. I only need about 50 miles range and to protect me from the elements. I have a bicycle for some tasks, an ICE vehicle for longer hauls, but would love something to fill in the need for in town errands.

Sounds sort of like the Citroen Ami? Slightly below your ideal range and quite expensive too but the same concept.

GEM makes something that fits your bill.

In my state, they can be driven on roads that are 35 mph or less. That’s sufficient for many urban areas.

The Aptera looks interesting for that sort of space. You might be able to option it with the lowest battery if you don't care about range and with the largest solar panel option and perhaps never/rarely even need to plug it in. Of course, they have to actually make it to serial production first, but it's a really neat concept if you value efficiency in your transportation.

Now that is exactly what I am looking for. I picked all the lowest options, and it comes to $26,000. I'll definitely keep an eye on this company.

So... a 12 year old Leaf? The old ones suffered severe range degradation and tend to be cheap second hand as a result, but should probably still do 50 miles.

Poltics won't allow it unfortunately. If BYD was to sell vehicles in the US the backlash from established auto companies and the China hawks would drown out any reasonable conversation.

Already happened. BYD floated the idea of building cars in Mexico for import into the US, which would be duty free under USMCA. Trump said he'd slap a 100% tariff on Chinese built in Mexico cars if he's elected.

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