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.
Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
61–70 of 243 posts
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are these road-legal in the west? If the off-road farm and construction-site applications are the only use-cases, that would seem to rather limit the impact on the market.
These I'm not sure, but overall yes they can be street legal: The Renault Twizy -- I've seen them in France and in Cambridge, MA ( https://www.bonzer.rocks/ ) They're in use and cost ~10k. Last time I checked you can get a 25mpg and a 50mpg version. While the 25mpg versions are street legal and available now in the US market, I believe the 50mpg version is still only available in europe. https://www.renault.fr/vehicu…
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.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#63At 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.
Did you have to take over a battery lease, and if so how much will you be paying and for how long?
I outright bought mine. I'd never heard of battery leasing until your comment, it doesn't appear to be an option in Canada.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are these road-legal in the west? If the off-road farm and construction-site applications are the only use-cases, that would seem to rather limit the impact on the market.
These I'm not sure, but overall yes they can be street legal: The Renault Twizy -- I've seen them in France and in Cambridge, MA ( https://www.bonzer.rocks/ ) They're in use and cost ~10k. Last time I checked you can get a 25mpg and a 50mpg version. While the 25mpg versions are street legal and available now in the US market, I believe the 50mpg version is still only available in europe. https://www.renault.fr/vehicu…
For a website servicing the US market (Bonzer in Cambridge MA), the website sure doesn't seem like it was written by someone who understands English, and the pictures are written in French and have km/h. I undersand Renault is a French company, but Bonzer's American-facing website doesn't give me much confidence in their commitment or quality in this market.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you know if they actually make a profit on a $1000 or $9000 price, or they're just dumping their products on the market, like they did for solar panels?
I don't for certain. In my trip to China, I couldn't meet makers of LSEVs. What I do know is that there are no subsidies in that market, which means carmakers won't survive if they don't make a profit. But it's a good question whether they are making that profit at the cost of human lives (no crash protection) or the environment (lead-acid batteries).
> But it's a good question whether they are making that profit at the cost of human lives (no crash protection)
To the extent that the cars are replacing scooters, they are an unmitigated benefit, safety wise.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
> but not at that price point Are they too expensive?
In a relative sense, for me, yes. Small value for more than the price of a beaten-up Fiat 500.
By "beaten-up" I'm assuming you mean second-hand, in which case this is an unfair comparison.
I'm sure that with time we'll have second-hand models of these tiny cars. The cost would definitely make it more tempting.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#67No crash protection? Almost 10k? I can get a decent used vehicle for 10k with a better top speed and crash protection. Seems like a no brainer to me to stick w/ a traditional model.
Honest question but do you need a lot in terms of crash protection if the top speed is 25mph? Theoretically you should only be in a collision at roughly 25mph (assuming you're sticking to roads where the speed limit is 25mph like you should be).
It's certainly better crash protection than a pedestrian, a bicycle, a moped, or a Segway which seems to be the competition.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#68No crash protection? Almost 10k? I can get a decent used vehicle for 10k with a better top speed and crash protection. Seems like a no brainer to me to stick w/ a traditional model.
I didn't say there's no crash protection on the Pickman. It's the $1000 cars sold in China that don't have them. Pretty sure that to qualify in the US and Europe, the Kaiyun car need to a minimum level of safety features.
If they're sold as motorbikes they don't need any safety features.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#69I think these are a terrific idea! If someone wants to ride around without crash protection, they're already able to do that in the US. It's called a motorcycle.
Individual buyers should be free to choose how much safety they want in their vehicles vs. how much they're willing to pay.
Re: Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't for certain. In my trip to China, I couldn't meet makers of LSEVs. What I do know is that there are no subsidies in that market, which means carmakers won't survive if they don't make a profit. But it's a good question whether they are making that profit at the cost of human lives (no crash protection) or the environment (lead-acid batteries).
> But it's a good question whether they are making that profit at the cost of human lives (no crash protection) To the extent that the cars are replacing scooters, they are an unmitigated benefit, safety wise.
Not true. Going from cars to scooters is safety-positive for those passengers, and safety-negative for everyone outside that car, particularly those who are not themselves in a car.