I really don’t think that is entirely true, these days anyway. All the reports on Chinese cars say that they are well designed and very well built.
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It depends what you buy and how much you pay for it. It’s very well possible to buy good Chinese products - cars in this case - but they won’t come cheap either.
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I understand. It also comes down to dealer support too and in more spread out rural places, opting for a car that has a deep long established service centre network is also really important.
For example, on the island I live on, a lot of people in my neighbourhood are fond of their Range Rovers, and Porsche SUVs and Audis. But leave the city and there is absolutely no where to get them fixed or serviced. Whereas you can get Subarus, Toyotas, and Jeeps serviced easily across the island.
We got a Crosstrek 2.5L PHEV (which I can confirm, that size engine in a small car really has some go) last July and it is surprising how much you get out of the smaller hybrid battery. The range of hybrids is pretty poor in EV mode “allegedly” but we find that the short runs to the supermarket and kid’s lessons and all that day-to-day town stuff is all in EV mode and then about the time the battery is spent, we are off somewhere a bit further away and that petrol journey tops up the battery for another week of around town errand driving.
There are certain countries where I also don’t feel comfortable buying certain types of products from. I also don’t feel the need to justify it. As a consumer and can choose where to put my money for any reason (valid or trivial) that I like.
I’m buying Australian products, British products, Japanese, German and American products. I’m supporting my tribe’s economy.
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I do think it is worth noting that it’s Chinese Gov policy to massively subsidise their industries with the deliberate aim of under-cutting foreign competitors to secure dominance.
In the UK at least I think it’s extremely short sighted to open the flood gates to cheap Chinese EV’s just to be able to claim some kind of progress to net zero. We should at least ensure there is a level playing field for European car makers.
That’s not to say European car makers are without blame, they’ve been extremely greedy and stupid in thinking they can all sell us over-priced, ridiculous spec EV’s when if you looked at the best selling cars over the last decade or so, good small cars like the Fiesta etc have always been high on the list. There’s some sign with Renault that the penny has dropped, but I think the reset will take a bit more time.
On the topic of charging, we had another difficult time on the M6 southbound with slow and broken charging stations. Luckily we got a tip from a fellow EV owner about a McDonalds just off a junction… price still eye watering though. More expensive to charge an EV than it is to fuel a diesel at current high prices with 40mpg… crazy.
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Similar experience. On the way home last week, I headed to McDonalds at Solihull just off the M42. Just 4 chargers there - and 2 of those were out of commission. Luckily I got one of the other two.
I usually stick to the big “hubs” and based on this experience I’ll do that in future, barring emergencies. They just take that bit of anxiety away. There’s a decent one with a Costa nearby, just off the M40 at Banbury.
As you say, none of the fast charging options are cheap, but I just view it as part of the cost of going away - like the hotel bill at the end of a nice weekend break. My R5 isn’t really meant for 360 mile journeys to The Lakes. That it does so smoothly, quickly and comfortably is therefore a bonus, and that mid-journey cost something I’d have paid anyway in the ICE days. Plus - charging before and after the trip is 4.99p per kWh and slow-charging at the destination is much cheaper than en-route.
The warmer weather is helping economy greatly. I’m getting 5.3 miles pkwh at present on day to day journeys.
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Yoichiro Takeda, Policy and Engagement Manager at The Climate Group, recently expressed concern that electric vehicle (EV) leadership not only originates from China but also from Vietnam. Both countries are significantly ahead of Japan in the EV industry. Takeda cautioned that Japan’s reluctance to embrace the EV future poses risks to both its climate objectives and the global competitiveness of its automotive sector.
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I think there is more nuance than is revealed there. From what I have read, rather than ceding EV tech to China, Japanese automakers are playing an extremely high risk long game. There is a lot of pooled investment by Japanese automakers into realising a true paradigm shift in battery technology with investment in that rather than the more traditional continuous improvement of existing EVs.
As I understand it, there is realisation that if this gamble fails, they aren’t likely to survive in the shape they are now. Mass market appeal may shrink to models that sell well in remote off grid areas which is a much smaller segment of their offering. So Subaru might come out from a loss of this gamble looking the same, whereas Nissan and Honda would be decimetated and Toyota would shrink back to a Landcruiser market.
Interesting times.
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Just spent 8 days in Suffolk / Essex on holiday from Preston. Averaged just over 3 miles per kWh which means usable range about 300 miles. Used mfg and Ionity (my preferred pair for reliability) and (for the first time) Sainsbury chargers. We had more stops for loo / meal breaks than we did to charge the car
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Forgot to say that I added 40kWh of solar yesterday that would otherwise have been wasted and adding more today
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Yes, it is impressive, isn’t it?
I have solar and batteries. Yesterday was a very good day - Imported: 23 kWh, exported 57.4 lWh.
I am going to be adding another 9 kWh of battery soon, from the current 18 kWh.
You’re welcome, everyone 
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Ferrari’s first full EV is revealed.
I have pretty much hated most recent Ferrari design, all slats and awkward proportions but I think this looks genuinely interesting, and different. Designed by the company headed by former Apple designer Jonathan Ive, very noticeable with the interior.
Pleased that a company has embraced a pretty different design language for their EV offer
Start saving ..
Bruce
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Perhaps the photos don’t do it justice but most of the interior looks like something fairly cheap & cheerful from the 1970’s/80’s & not a £500,000 21st century vehicle.
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I suspect the materials are fairly exotic. I like it though, a move away from the overtly techy look of most performance cars, all glossy carbon and machismo.
Bruce
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Totally agree, without the badges it could be almost anything.
It’s certainly different. I rather like the interior, even though the ‘analogue’ clock does remind me of one I used to have on an old Mac.
A bold move.
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I am obviously in a minority. Not shouting ‘look I have a Ferrari’ is part of the appeal I think.
Anyway I am not exactly in the market for one.
Bruce
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New Mercedes AMG EV. Utterly grotesque to my eyes. Interior has a sort of German night club vibe. Not that I have ever been to one!
Or maybe…
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Yes, it is a move away from that - but not to anything of interest, in my view.
True, it isn’t shouting about being a Ferrari. I’m not sure what, if anything, it is saying, though.