If electrification is the goal, then let chinese subsidised vehicles be the solution.
The cost is destruction of germanies manufacturing industry, forever being reliant on China.
Ah well if we are considering suicidal strategies then there are simpler and more efficient solutions to achieve the electrification goal!
For example we could just shoot anybody who drives ICE, we’d have 100% market share in a week.
A 20th century solution to a 19th century problem
I think all we need is a clear communication and strategy. We still have politicians that want to prolong the production of ICE cars and/or large scale use e-fuels. If we had these decisions way ealier, it would have been better, sure but every additional year that goes by will worsen the effects on economy.
My only issue with EVs is their price.
I don’t really trust the quality of Chinese cars but if they will prove there is a market for cheap EVs why not. It might convince bigger companies to focus on rolling out affordable EVs.
The price and quality go hand in hand.
Things have a cost and if you’re not paying it in full, somebody else has to. Maybe it’s the Chinese government. Maybe it’s the slave who built it. Maybe it’s future you, struggling to engage windshield wipers on an unresponsive piece of garbage while on the highway.
The price of EVs is due in large part to the battery, so there is only so much you can cut. Some companies sell you a battery with a bare bone car around it (see Dacia spring), others try to justify the price by selling you a premium car (see ioniq or tesla), and others cut down on the battery by selling you a city car with a very limited range (see Renault Zoe or that funny mini car from Citroen).
As things stand now there is just no way to make an EV with both comparable price and performance to an ICE. What needs to happen is technological development on batteries, which would have been much better by now had we bothered to give a fuck years ago.
I’m not sure how true that is, at least in the USA. Almost all OEMs are targeting the mid to top end of the market for EVs (SUVs, trucks, luxury models). Almost no one is coming out with an entry level model that would be the equivalent of a “Toyota Corolla” EV, that is, a bare bones car that runs on a battery. Yes, there is some protectionism going on with preventing the Chinese from entering the market, but I think most of it is just OEMs trying to maximize profit to a grotesque degree.
Maybe my point wasn’t clear, let me try restating it: a battery with wheels will still be super expensive, because batteries are by far the most expensive part of the car. That’s why EVs tend to be sold as premium cars, that way you feel the price is justified.
China can sell you the battery on wheels because their government is subsidising those cars in order to invade the western market, they are using the old trick: sell at a loss, become indispensable, enjoy your slaves.
I think I understand your point but various European OEMs are making small EVs in the 30k euro or less range that are not being brought to the US market. Examples include the VW ID.2 and ID.3. It’s not like VAG doesn’t have a US presence but they’re still only selling the $40k+ ID.4 and the $60k+ ID Buzz in the US market. The Volvo EX-30 was announced as a $30k+ entry level EV that was supposed to target the lower end of the market but by the time it wound up in the US the base model is now $42k.
Ah, turns out we just had very different definitions of “cheap” or “small”.
Here in Italy the basic vehicle is the Panda, which you get for €16k. €30k vehicles are mid market, €40-50k is high end.
Haha yeah. American “small” is different, sadly.
