While most people are aware of Tesla and the mercurial? Elon Musk, the EV that we drive most is the BYD fleet of Mevo, the transport that we use in Wellington.
The Chinese BYD vehicles are lower in cost than Tesla, recently BYD surpassed Tesla's quarterly production both making close to half a million units. (But Tesla's revenue is still higher than BYD).
But what is interesting (as outlined to us by Alphinity), is the huge progress that Chinese EV producers are making, and the low prices that the vehicles are being sold for. Tarrifs have been added in various countries to ensure that 'dumping' is not carried out by Chinese companies.
But the Chinese approach is a little different to the European and American approach to EV production. They aren't so focussed on the 'driving experience'. They are more interested in 'connectivity and gadgets'. Here are some examples of what you can buy with an EV produced in China.
XpengG9 (built in bed) - https://www.xpeng.com/g9
This is not just a car, it also comes with a bed (for camping perhaps). The double air mattress in the back unfolds and inflates at the push of a button. The car also has a 3D user interface and 5d multimedia.
Zeekr (built in fishing system) - https://zeekrglobal.com/models/model-009/
Luxury with outdoor accoutrements. Zeekr is developing a 'vehicle mounted fishing system' that incorporates a rod, line and hook, a device that will enable accurate, long distance casting, and software that will give the driver information about the best fishing spots in the local area.
Polestones01 (built in kitchen) - https://www.roxmotor.com/EN_home
This vehicle comes with a rear-mounted kitchen complete with an induction cooktop.
Yangwang U8 (built in drone station) - https://www-yangwangauto-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=zh-CN&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
The drone can be launched while the car is in motion and follow you, taking high-definition video of your journey and either broadcasting it to the car's internal screen or saving it to be edited.
Tesla's Cybertruck - https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/tesla/cybertruck
Apparently quite polarising because of it's design (See picture below). But interestingly like the DeLorean, the vehicle has a fully stainless steel body.
Which rusts after left in the rain.
While the stainless steel body itself will not rust, it will show rust-like marks (which can be easily removed...)
