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Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

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Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#151

Post by MrRadar »

tptacek wrote: post #150
MrRadar wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because there are so many trucks and SUVs which can completely obscure people (especially children) under 5 ft (~1.5 m) from their rear windows when they are too close to the vehicle because the vehicles are so high off the ground.

So this is required to sell new cars ; it's not required to be street-legal, though, right? For instance: you can't sell a car in the US without both side-view mirrors, but you can drive a car without one of them.

Yes, the safety equipment standards I listed are for new vehicles. Existing/used vehicles only need to comply with the standards that were in effect when they were new (and even then those standards are only enforced in the 15 states with mandatory safety inspections). The only exception I think is seatbelts since it's illegal to drive a car without wearing one in all but one state.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#152

Post by gamblor956 »

rmcpherson wrote: post #106
seren wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trick with Renault Twizy is that it is not registered as a proper car, but rather as some kind of motorcycle with a roof, so it does not have really stringent safety requirements.

Because it is not a motor vehicle by insurance and Legal standards in the USA it does not require a license or insurance to operate. If you are hit by one of these, you’ll find there’s no insurance to cover you other than your health insurance. Underinsured coverage on your auto policy will not apply either, as it would if you were hit by a motor vehicle. Source: this just happened to me.

Generally, while your insurer (health, auto, homeowner, or otherwise) would cover your initial costs, you would get reimbursed by suing the driver of the golf cart that hit you and they would either personally be liable or pay through their insurance company.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#153

Post by emptyfile »

ngngngng wrote: post #81
dv_dt wrote: post #55

These seem like utility (landscaping) grade golf carts that are already a market in the US. Available in mostly gas, but some electric forms. https://www.deere.com/en/gator-utility-vehicles/ https://www.toro.com/en/sports-fields-municipalities/utility... https://www.catresourcecenter.com/machine/landscaping/utilit...

I just don't get it. a John Deere Gator with two seats and 4 wheels, and not much else costs over $7000 new. No windows, No airbags, pathetic top speed, not road legal. A Lada 4x4 costs less than that brand new in Russia. Road legal, standard car top speed. Known as a very reliable car. Why can't I buy a really cheap car in the United States? edit: also the lada 4x4 is possibly the coolest car i've ever seen, in it's…

Well I'm googling it, but no I'm pretty sure you can't buy a new Lada 4x4 for less than 7000 $.

On the other hand in Europe you can buy a new Dacia Sandero for under 7000 euros. It comes with power steering, front electronic windows, heating, airbags and 4/5 safety rating.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#154

Post by Phlarp »

freehunter wrote: post #148
dsr_ wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're on a 25mph road, you should assume a 50mph collision with a vehicle headed in the other direction.

Two cars of the same mass hitting each other head on at 25mph is the same as one car hitting a solid (immovable) wall at 25mph. Regardless, a bicycle moving at 25mph being hit head on by a car moving 25mph is going to be (at best) comparable to this thing getting hit at 25mph.

Maybe _you_ can only go 25mph, the other vehicles have no such restrictions.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#155

Post by bluGill »

alkonaut wrote: post #143

I'd love a golf cart type car but the days I need it most it's -10C or -20C (Think around zero freedom degrees) and I don't trust these manufacturers to do the kind of winter testing I'm expecting. If any plastics give up, or battery thermals don't at least allow the same kind of range-fraction a Leaf or Model3 does in (really) cold weather, it's not going to work. Even my french petrol car is absolutely terrible in…

I really only need a car for 3 reasons: rain, cold and snow. Last week it was -30C here (real temperature, wind made it worse), no way will I walk/bike in that. Week before we get snow/ice - the roads were slippery enough that I wouldn't want to not have a cage around me.

I can bike on those nice fall days when everything is easy. (I can bike on those hot summer days but it isn't as fun)

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#156

Post by Brakenshire »

twblalock wrote: post #128
Poiesis wrote: post #33

At that price point I'd enthusiastically recommend a three year old Nissan Leaf; that's about what I paid and it's served me well.

The resale value is so bad (except for Teslas) that it probably makes more sense to lease electric cars than to buy new. Every generation of electric cars is such a big improvement over the previous one, especially in terms of range and fast charging, that the resale value of the old ones is unusually low.

It will be interesting at what point we’ll hit “good enough”. Somewhere around 200 miles of reliable range and 100kW charging speed I think is where it ceases to matter for most people. If you have off street parking you’ll only need to use a fast charger for road trips, and then you can drive for 3 hour periods with half an hour rest in between. We’re not quite there but not far off.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#157

Post by taneq »

4ndr3vv wrote: post #138
YetAnotherNick wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It falls into the uncanny valley on so many axes.

> It falls into the uncanny valley on so many axes. Sorry, think I'm missing something here... How does the Twizy look like a human?

'Uncanny valley' is sometimes generalised to mean anything which looks almost, but not quite, the same as something you're familiar with, and is subtly disturbing as a result.

An example would be staying in a hotel for a while, then again in a different room that looks identical. (At least, that creeps me out, I start feeling like the room isn't really attached to the rest of the world.)

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#158

Post by UncleEntity »

MrRadar wrote: post #151
tptacek wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So this is required to sell new cars ; it's not required to be street-legal, though, right? For instance: you can't sell a car in the US without both side-view mirrors, but you can drive a car without one of them.

Yes, the safety equipment standards I listed are for new vehicles. Existing/used vehicles only need to comply with the standards that were in effect when they were new (and even then those standards are only enforced in the 15 states with mandatory safety inspections). The only exception I think is seatbelts since it's illegal to drive a car without wearing one in all but one state.

> The only exception I think is seatbelts since it's illegal to drive a car without wearing one in all but one state.

I know in Arizona if the car didn't originally come with seatbelts then you don't have to install them. Used to have a '53 Dodge that didn't have them and it was fine -- kind of freaked out my sister though...

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#159

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

ngngngng wrote: post #89
VectorLock wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whats the crash testing like on that Lada 4x4?

I don't know, I assume it's better than the more expensive open air golf cart that i'm comparing to though. edit: What i'm trying to say is, why is a fully functional car (even with bad crash safety and emissions) cheaper outside the United States than a golf cart is here? The answer seems obvious to me. Making it illegal to import cars has stifled competition and hurt consumers in the US.

That's assuming they travel the same speed.

Because Lada 4x4 has a much higher top speed it is has the potential for much more serious accidents.

Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

#160

Post by avar »

zellyn wrote: post #61

I work about six to eight miles from home (depending on the route) in Atlanta. I bike in as often as I can, but I would be all over a cheap electric alternative that was rain-proof. I don't see this as a car replacement so much as a bicycle alternative.

Have you considered getting something like a "rain-proof" bicycle like the electric Urban Arrow + rain cover + poncho?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7y5XSXeAFo
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