A few years ago, Cars in China were derogatory. They were apparent copies of popular or absolutely ridiculous Western models. The Land Wind X7 was the symbol of a Range Rover Evoque, the CH Auto Lithia Sports looked strangely like the Audi R8, and the Dongfeng EQ2050 Brave Soldier could have been for a Humvee of the US Army. On the other hand, songr Li Shi Guang Ming not only had an idiotic name; His appearance was so strange that even a cartoon character would have been ashamed to drive one.
But times have changed, and as with most other areas of technology, China has caught up with the West’s automotive design abilities and even overtaken, with one area of particular note: electric vehicles. By 2019, there were already 2.58 million battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in China, compared to just 0.97 million in Europe, and 0.88 million in the USA, according to the International Energy Agency. China also has more home and work chargers than any other part of the world, more public slow chargers than the rest of the world put together, and 82% of the global fast charger installations.
There is even a Chinese electric hypercar called EP9 with 1341 horsepower that can succeed in 62 mph in 2.7 seconds and have a more sensible speed of 217 mph. But it’s 2.5 million pounds ($3.1 million) and there are only six. Of course, there are more modest options, with the Wm Motor Technology Company’s Weltmeister EX5 priced at around $20,000, but it still promises a diversity of up to 325 miles. Its 160 kW engine has the same strength as the high-end Nissan Leaf, which costs around $36,000 in the UK and $39,000 in the US, yet only has two-thirds of the diversity. There was some expectation for the Byton M-byte SUV, which looked wonderful and had an exclusive panoramic LCD panel on the front board. But it turns out the company has a victim of Coronavirus.
Chinese cars did not look like a festival for European and American brands when they could not compete in quality, however, many of those examples have similar specifications and designs, with much lower value, just as when Japanese cars conquered the world. through the typhoon in the 1970s and 1980s. China has the main benefits that have put it ahead in the EV source game. China is the world’s largest lithium manufacturer, achieving more than 60% of the world’s source in April 2019, and still controls 51% of the world’s chemical lithium by early 2020. By contrast, the United States accounts for only 2% of the world. China lithium source also controls 62% of the world’s chemical cobalt and one hundred percent of round graphite. All the main elements of lithium-ion battery generation dominate electric cars as a power source. Even the new cobalt-free lithium and iron phosphate (LFP) batteries that promise dramatic relief come from China.
However, there might be an explanation for why we will not see a prompt invasion of Chinese electric cars on European and American roads despite the possible price they offer. It is transparent that there is a dispute between the Trump administration and China, which has now put the UK in its orbit. Even if Trump loses the U.S. presidential election in November, the U.S. position opposed to China is unlikely to replace substantially, as Biden is also skeptical of the country, albeit in a less vehemently positive tone.
In Europe, car manufacturers, i.e. in Germany and France, have great political power and will need their market, which is still heavily invested in fossil fuel technology. As a result, lately there is an ambivalence towards electric cars, even within the same automotive groups, with VW putting many of their eggs in the electric basket with ID.3, but corporate sister CEO Audi says his corporate will expand internal combustion cars for “a long time.”
If it was a pure free market based on value for money, Chinese electric cars would be giving European and American manufacturers sleepless nights already. But it’s likely that politics and economic protectionism will keep them at bay for a while. How long it will be before the dam breaks and Chinese EVs flood in is uncertain, but it probably won’t be possible to hold them back forever.
I’m the editor of the independent electric vehicle WhichEV. I have more than 25 years of pleasure as a generation journalist and a long-time love of automobiles.
I am the editor of independent electric vehicle website WhichEV. I have over 25 years’ experience as a technology journalist and a life-long love of cars, so having the two come together has been a dream come true. I first saw the potential for electric vehicles when I became one of the first people to drive a Nissan Leaf back in 2011. I love how automotive design and gadgetry combine in EVs, making them both fun and technically fascinating at the same time. They also have a huge amount to contribute to tackling climate change as well as metropolitan pollution. Alongside being editor of WhichEV, I am Pathway Director of the Master’s in Interactive Journalism at City, University of London. I have a PhD in the philosophy of communications and play the trumpet, once recording a session with Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker.