Paris is becoming a city of bikes. Across China, people are snapping up $5,000 electric cars. On Earth Day, a look at a few bright spots for emission reductions.
As of a year ago, it’d sold 1.1 million globally; it’s the most popular EV in China. Coincidentally, saw one of these rolling by the house here in the PNW (the red/black model, kind of a standout among the silver turds).
It’s manufactured by the three-way international joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling, in the factories of Liuzhou. (Note the GM in there.) The new VW Bug.
Coincidentally, saw one of these rolling by the house here in the PNW
I wonder how it was imported and then registered. There’s a zero percent chance it meets US DOT standards and it’s not nearly old enough for the “classic” import exemption.
I suppose it’s possible that it was a GM test mule but the PNW isn’t a common place to see those.
A lot of US states are starting to close the classic vehicle exceptions too. Because their pickup-loving busybody mid-level bureaucrats are aesthetically displeased by kei trucks and so wield the levers of the administrative state to ban them for bullshit reasons.
I was definitely already amid doing the research for getting an old Kei truck and converting it to electric when I found out my state wouldn’t tolerate me doing it anymore. Because evidently a kei is super dangerous to be in on the road. More dangerous than a motorcycle or bicycle. Somehow.
Looked up that $5000 (where?) Chinese car. Here it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuling_Hongguang_Mini_EV
As of a year ago, it’d sold 1.1 million globally; it’s the most popular EV in China. Coincidentally, saw one of these rolling by the house here in the PNW (the red/black model, kind of a standout among the silver turds).
It’s manufactured by the three-way international joint venture SAIC-GM-Wuling, in the factories of Liuzhou. (Note the GM in there.) The new VW Bug.
EDIT: Wired review from 2022: https://www.wired.com/story/review-wuling-hongguang-mini-ev/
I wonder how it was imported and then registered. There’s a zero percent chance it meets US DOT standards and it’s not nearly old enough for the “classic” import exemption.
I suppose it’s possible that it was a GM test mule but the PNW isn’t a common place to see those.
A lot of US states are starting to close the classic vehicle exceptions too. Because their pickup-loving busybody mid-level bureaucrats are aesthetically displeased by kei trucks and so wield the levers of the administrative state to ban them for bullshit reasons.
I was definitely already amid doing the research for getting an old Kei truck and converting it to electric when I found out my state wouldn’t tolerate me doing it anymore. Because evidently a kei is super dangerous to be in on the road. More dangerous than a motorcycle or bicycle. Somehow.