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There is no question that Tesla helped accelerate EV adoption in China but BYD's significant battery R&D was already underway and would have happened with or without Elon

I rode in an EV BYD taxi in 2016. However, I don’t think EVs would have caught on as fast in China without the Model S setting an example that EVs were viable as full ICE car replacements (they definitely were already there before the Model 3 validated mass market adoption).

You have to admit though, there's a difference between saying "never" or "as fast".

I think the comment I replied to was edited.

Yeah, they would definitely be there eventually but I doubt they would be there now without Tesla, there just wasn't much interest in electric cars back then.

Come on.

The CCP would have backed CATL and BYD regardless, like they have with silicon solar panels and hundreds of other manufacturing segments.