It seems like if there was a $15-$20k EV in the US market, it would be a no-brainer "around town" second car.
Instead we get $30k Model 3/Y's or $80k EV SUV/Vans.
https://electrek.co/2025/02/06/first-look-new-chevy-bolt-ev-...
Kinda missing the point that you get 50% more range in the Dolphin, plus a lot of additional niceties / tech stuff that is just not available in the Leaf.
Nissan leaf: 240 km (149 miles) for the 40 kWh version and 341 km (212 miles) for the 62 kWh version.
BYD Dolphin: 340 km (211 mi) for the 45 Kwh version, 427 km (265 mi) for the 60kWh version. The cheapest 30 KwH version doesn't have a WLTP range that I can find (I don't think it is being exported outside of China anyways according to wiki).
Leaf is less, but it isn't 50% of the range.
I assume that the 25k EUR id.2 (replacement for the VW eUp, out early next year) will launch in the US, tho, and should be competitive with the Dolphin.
Probably from Tesla.com. It lists the long range RWD cash price as $29920 (in my state) unless you notice the checked checkbox that says "Include est. incentives of $7,500 and 5-year gas savings of $<whatever> for <your_state>" and uncheck it.
$whatever is $5000 for my state.
This will be interesting to unpack, seeing what happens to Tesla in a marketing theory sense.
I predict that Chinese and us manufacturers will partner or rebadge Mexican or Canadian made Chinese EVs within a decade
Also, I believe the sodium ion battery has yet to impact the EV market. In theory a 200-300 mile car of sodium ion batteries should be 1/2 that of NCM drivetrain or less. That should enable a sub 10k car even in the us
Aluminium and steel costs significantly less in China than the rest of the world, but they now face significant problems because of overcapacity. There are so much factories built and so small demand companies can not survive without help from the Government. They were build thanks to cheap loans from the Government.
So the Government made an investment that is not making money, so basically is a transfer of wealth from bank savers account to industry.
This is also applied in the US and EU, let's remember interest rates below inflation, "Quantitative Easing" and other transfers of wealth the central banks do in the West.
Tesla was also subsidised.
It feels like this is true for any older Western country like Germany or the UK too. Why exactly have China been successful in reducing costs?
Reducing price != reducing cost
Besides that, EVs in the US are targeting a different market segment. It's for people who would be buying a $40K SUV, not those buying a $20K Corolla.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42942405
China boasts a complete industrial chain and the best logistics infrastructure. If you want to engage in industrial production, you can find the most suppliers here, who can provide you with the parts you need at the fastest speed and lowest logistics cost.
Not to mention the largest number of educated workers, who won't leave marijuana in the products you send to customers.
These are all factors that can actually reduce costs, which cannot be achieved solely by subsidies.
You can easily get a used EV in good working order for under $15K though: https://insideevs.com/features/715984/best-used-evs-on-a-bud...
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/cta?auto_make_model=niss...
Every few months Electrek publishes a list of EVs that can be leased in the United States for under $200/month. Sometimes they're as cheap as $99 or even $0/month, depending on your state's incentives.
They’re not including the downpayment.
However as we witnessed during the pandemic, manufacturers of goods tend to increase the cost of the goods despite minimal increase in supply chain, cost of materials or labor. It’s all for maximizing profit and they were “testing” the market to reap massive profits.
With no competition, they (collectively as an industry) felt no need to decrease prices or offer cheaper vehicle options.
I also suspect abuse of CAFE exceptions (ie, “light duty trucks”) is the second leading cause of the death of affordable vehicles.
1) it's not as expensive as a model 3 in mexico
2) it's not as much lower end, when it comes to what drivers want, noting FSD is not actually on anyones radar, or "free" with the low end models
3) it's cheaper by a margin most people on rational incomes close to average would say is a LOT of money.
2) Agreed, that it is a car for much cheaper. However, it will likely not last as long. Excluding FSD, Autopilot is free and a better comparison.
3) Again, simply pointing out the discrepancy in claimed cost vs actual.