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A looming crisis is brewing in China, as hundreds of thousands of unsold, polluting gas-powered vehicles may be rendered unsellable due to incoming emissions rules. It’s another sign that the global auto industry isn’t ready for the shift to EVs and will be caught unawares if it doesn’t ramp EV production fast enough.

The new Chinese emissions rules were announced all the way back in 2016 and are set to go into effect in July. This gave automakers almost seven full years of notice to get it together and prepare to produce and sell less-polluting vehicles, more than enough time to bring a new model fully from original conception to production.

The rules don’t ban all gas cars, but they do set stricter emissions standards on several pollutants released by internal combustion vehicles. Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxide, particulates, and other pollutants must all be reduced by a half or a third.

Automakers seem to have planned to continue selling polluting vehicles up until the deadline, but then COVID hit. This affected the production of vehicles but also affected purchases. Auto sales dropped, and while sales have started to recover somewhat, most of that recovery has been in EV sales, while ICE sales are still depressed.

Dealership foot traffic is high, but customers simply aren’t buying. This has left dealers with a huge glut of polluting vehicles and a ticking clock that will make them unsellable in July.

China was originally somewhat slow to adopt EVs – in 2015, EV market share was less than .84%, similar to the US market share of .66% and well below California at 3.1% at the time. But in 2022, US market share had risen to only 7.2% and California to 18.7%, whereas China’s EV market share is now a whopping 30%, leapfrogging several countries in the process. So China was a little late at the start but has advanced much more quickly in recent years, catching companies by surprise.

As a result, dealers have been offering massive discounts on polluting inventory vehicles, but this hasn’t been enough. Even the government has stepped in, with provincial governments adding additional subsidies to reduce the price of locally-produced vehicles.

Rapidly dropping prices have resulted in a “wait-and-see” attitude among Chinese buyers. Given that prices are already falling, customers think that they can wait longer and that these prices will fall even further.

Given the dealers and manufacturers are confronted with a situation where their cars will soon become valueless and that there simply aren’t enough customers interested in buying the number of cars they have in inventory, any price they can get for the cars that’s greater than zero may be worthwhile come July.

But the problem most harshly affects foreign automakers in China. Chinese companies have been faster to adopt EVs than foreign ones, so automakers from Europe, Japan, and the US will be most affected by this glut of vehicles. Sales from Chinese brands are flat year-over-year, but sales from US brands are down 12%. German and Korean brands are down 22%, and Japanese and French brands are down more than 40%.

China’s car dealership associations are scrambling for a fix. The China Auto Dealers Chamber of Commerce (CADCC) asked that the emissions rules be delayed six months, until January 1, to help clear the backlog. This is not an unexpected request from a Chamber of Commerce – organizations which so often take the side of polluters over people – but the CADCC also requested that automakers stop production of new cars that don’t meet the upcoming standards immediately, rather than continuing their production plans up until July.

But that’s just China – the same will happen around the globe

China’s turnaround on EV adoption may be an exceptional case. It has gone from a relative laggard to one of the global leaders and now stands only behind Northern Europe in current EV market share. The timing of COVID, the rapid shift to EVs, and new emissions rules have created somewhat of a perfect storm in the country.

But make no mistake – similar trends will play out elsewhere in the world in the coming years, and many automakers simply are not ready.

It takes time to design, build, and distribute vehicles, as these companies know well. But the inability to project trends seven years into the future will prove to be the downfall of laggard companies that don’t take EVs seriously.

I don’t say this in an attempt to function as some sort of oracle of the automotive industry, but from simple observation of events happening now.

We’ve seen other regions shift to EVs faster than expected. Even Norway, long known to be a standout in EV adoption, has taken many by surprise. The country planned to end gas car sales in 2025, but it’s already basically there. This has resulted in some brands hastily withdrawing their gas cars from the Norwegian market – Hyundai only gave a few days of notice that they would stop selling gas cars in the country at the start of this year.

This sort of thing is possible in a country that’s part of a large economic bloc where cars can be shifted around to other nations, but when the entire bloc goes electric, what then? We get a situation like China’s, with stranded vehicles that may end up being worth nothing or close to it.

We’ve also seen some drivers, not even high-mileage ones, realize that renting, fueling, and maintaining an EV is cheaper than the continued running costs of using a paid-for gas car. When that happens, the value of the gas car is effectively zero – it’s worse to continue driving it than it is to get a whole new EV.

It doesn’t take much to see that these trends could result in a full-on “bank run” to abandon gas cars and buy EVs, depending on how unbalanced the supply-demand equation becomes.

Tesla as a case study

Tesla started selling cars in 2008, and 100% of those cars were electric. But it only really got into “mass production” in 2012-2014 with the Model S. At the time, one could look at a chart of sales trends of the Model S versus competing models like the BMW 7-series, Mercedes E- and S-class, Lexus and Audi offerings, etc., and see a strange dip in all of them which coincided with the rise of Model S sales. Tesla wasn’t creating a new market, it was eating the market that existed – and fast.

And these trends continued with other models. It was clear that EVs – as long as they were designed to take advantage of the inherent benefits of electric drive and sold with purpose rather than as compliance vehicles – were going to take market share from gas cars.

The company making these moves loudly proclaimed that in order to make EVs work, one needed to ensure that they had enough batteries to manufacture these cars, enough dealers who cared to sell and knew how to sell these cars, and a suitable charging network for owners to get around in a transparent manner. So it did those things. All around a decade ago.

This wasn’t a secret; other automakers could see it happening. I had this discussion with executives from various automakers around the mid-2010s, many of whom saw it happening but couldn’t get their organizations to act with proper urgency. Meanwhile, most of them thought that they would easily overtake the newcomer with their superior manufacturing expertise – with VW famously claiming they’d reach that point by 2018 (spoiler alert: they still haven’t).

And now, we’re still hearing CEOs say that “batteries are the constraint,” while Tesla outsells every other brand’s EVs combined, twice over, in its home country. Tesla also happens to have a battery factory that broke ground nearly ten years ago now, while some manufacturers are just starting to break ground or announce investments this year.

This is not even a case of Tesla being uniquely right in these prognostications. It is the pure EV company that started first (which is to say, the only one that started at the right time), had enough funding to get off the ground in time (a difficult task), and was confronted with a blue ocean, a market that refused to build EVs in any significant number.

Tesla thus became essentially the only game in town. People want EVs, and everyone else just isn’t bothering to make them yet. This didn’t need to be inevitable. This happened due to intransigence from the major players in the industry. And this case study shows that it was not impossible to see these signs coming, nor impossible to act on them. Other automakers just…. didn’t.

The signs were there from the start

We, the EV faithful, have been trying to shout this from the mountaintops since the beginning. In fact, Electrek exists largely because of this tweet from our publisher Seth Weintraub, ten years ago this year:

We’re a few months out from Seth’s deadline, and look at what’s happening in China. In the next three months, potentially hundreds of thousands of cars are under threat of becoming valueless because they don’t meet the emissions guidelines that were announced long ago. Buyers could buy them now for a song but still aren’t interested.

In 2018, we saw the same thought make its way into “mainstream” car media when WSJ’s Dan Neil said the same. That was five years ago now, and even then he said that he would be stupid to buy a gas car at the time, because by the time he was ready to sell that car, ICE car values would likely drop to zero.

Meanwhile, the EV deals of the past (which we catalog here on Electrek) have largely dried up (well, except for the Chevy Bolt, which is a screaming deal). Automakers don’t need to give deals on EVs – everyone wants them. They’re going to sell out regardless. Heck, you can barely even find one for MSRP these days.

This mismatch of supply and demand is because automakers have consistently underestimated EV demand for a decade now. We heard for so long that the demand wasn’t there, and all of a sudden, now we’re hearing the opposite. But if you wait to react until after the demand is too high for you to fulfill, you’ll still have years worth of prep to do before being able to meet that demand.

At this point, it could be too late already for some automakers. Even the largest on Earth, Toyota, seems likely to suffer from their obstinacy (along with other Japanese automakers and perhaps the entire country of Japan). Toyota’s new CEO, Koji Sato, has given some indications that he wants to turn things around, but it’s very late in the game already.

And going back to China, this is part of what the China Automobile Circulation Association warned about in a March 24 note. It recognized that auto manufacturers got demand drastically wrong and that those companies’ underestimation of EV popularity is what has led to this situation. It called on all levels of the auto industry – government, manufacturing, and dealerships – to shape up and embrace change in a way that these entities have not yet done.

We need to see the same in the rest of the world, lest the same fate happen elsewhere. You’ve been warned.

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Save $510 on the WORX Aventon e-bike at $1,190, plus Earth Day EV sales from Lectric and Rad Power

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April 19, 2024

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Save 0 on the WORX Aventon e-bike at ,190, plus Earth Day EV sales from Lectric and Rad Power

After a week of incredible e-bike deals and special pre-order discounts, you’d think there wouldn’t be much left to cover, but as spring flowers bloom, so too does the desire for adventure – with three more deals. The joint WORX and Aventon e-bike hits $1,190 while a Lectric e-bike sale pairs deals with free accessory bundles. Plus, the RadRunner e-bike line starts from $1,299 alongside all of the other day’s best Green Deals below.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

WORX and Aventon Power Share e-bike hits $1,190 low

WORX is offering its Aventon e-bike powered by Power Share for $1,189.99 shipped. Normally fetching $1,700, this e-bike has seen very few discounts directly from its parent company since its release in January 2023, with most being minor discounts of 10% at most, and the others dropping costs to $1,500 at the lowest. It was available on Amazon at one point, where it saw more frequent discounts over the last year – the previous discount being to $1,199 before it became unavailable, which has been seen at other retailers such as Lowe’s and Walmart as well. Today’s deal comes in as a 30% markdown off the going rate that gives you $510 in savings and marking a new all-time low.

This e-bike is the culmination of WORX’s partnership with Aventon, coming equipped with a 350W motor that is powered by two 8.0Ah Power Share batteries that can be interchanged and used by any lifestyle, power tool, and outdoor power equipment products from the Power Share line. It can reach a top speed of 20 MPH for 28 miles on a single charge and has five levels of pedal assistance alongside a throttle for full electric action when you just want to cruise around town. It has a simplified features detail that includes a step-through frame, 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, Tektro mechanical disc brakes, an IPX4 splash waterproof rating, and a backlit LCD display that gives you real-time performance data and pedal assistance setting controls.

Save on e-bike bundles in Lectric’s Earth Day Sale

Lectric eBikeshas launched an Earth Day Sale through April 22 that is giving up to $727 in free add-on accessories along with your purchase from the selection of the brand’s popular e-bike models. The biggest chance to save is on the XPeak Off-Road High-Step e-bike for $1,399 shipped and the XPeak Off-Road Step-Thru e-bike that is also going for $1,399 shipped, which you can learn about below or by reading through our hands-on review. Since its release in October, we’ve only ever seen this model go for $100 cheaper during occasional sales, the most recent being the company’s February flash sale. Along with your purchase, you’ll also be getting the XPeak spare battery, a rear cargo rack, fenders for both tires, an Elite headlight, and an RST Renegade suspension fork that will arrive pre-installed on the bike for you. All-in-all, this entire package with the e-bike would normally cost you $2,126. We’ve also curated a list below of all the other models and their respective deals.

Like most of Lectric’s models, the XPeak Off-Road e-bike has two color schemes that also go along with its designs, with the high-step model coming in black and the step-thru model coming in white. They are both equipped with a 750W rear hub-motor (1310W Peak) paired with a removable 48V battery that propels the bike up to 28 MPH for up to 55 miles on a single charge. They have five levels of pedal assistance that are monitored by a unique cadence sensor combined with the company’s PWR+ technology, as well as an ergonomic below-the-bar trigger throttle for pure electric action. There’s also an array of add-on features like 4-inch puncture-resistant fat tires, hydraulic mineral oil brakes, a 7-gear Shimano drivetrain, removable pedals, a thru-axle wheel attachment system for tool-free installations, kickstand, a hidden cable routing system, plenty of mounting points for add-ons, and an IP65 water-and-dust-resistant LCD display for real-time performance data.

radrunner 3 plus

Rad Power takes $100 off RadRunner e-bikes and plants trees for Earth Day

Rad Power Bikes has launched an Earth Day Sale through April 24 that is taking $100 off its RadRunner line of e-bikes and committing to planting trees through the National Forest Foundation for every purchase. The best of these deals is on the RadRunner 3 Plus Utility e-bike for $2,099 shipped with the added bonus of receiving a free accessory that is valued under $100. It first launched at $2,299 in March 2023 and has since fallen to a $2,199 MSRP after Rad Power lowered prices across its entire e-bike lineup. We’ve only seen it fall as low as $1,899 during occasional flash sales, often being left out or discounted by $100 during major sales events like Black Friday or Christmas. You can learn more about this model by heading below or reading through our hands-on review.

This utility e-bike comes equipped with a 750W rear hub motor and 672Wh battery that propels it to a max speed of 20 MPH and travels up to 45+ miles on a single charge. It features a five-level pedal assist with a 12 magnet cadence sensor, and a full digital display that gives you a charge indicator, speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, pedal assist level, motor watts, headlight/taillight indicator, trip time, and a clock. It also comes stocked with a rear-mounted cargo rack that offers a 120-pound payload, puncture-resistant fat tires, fenders for both wheels, a standard LED headlight, and an integrated taillight with brake light capabilities.

While the RadRunner 2 and the RadRunner Plus are discounted to $1,299 and $1,699 as part of this sale, they are not included to receive a free accessory like the above model. They both come with a 750W motor and a 672Wh battery that propels them to a max speed of 20 MPH and travels 50 miles for the RadRunner 2 and 45 miles for the RadRunner Plus. The RadRunner 2 has four levels of pedal assistance with a cadence sensor and simple control panel, whereas the RadRunner Plus has five levels of pedal assistance, with a bonus zero level for when you want to manually pedal the bike yourself. They both come with a variety of add-on accessories, but its the Plus model that has been given upgraded ones like its LCD display also having a USB port to charge your personal devices.

This Earth Day Sale will continue through April 24, with the discount on the RadRunner 3 Plus being automatically applied in cart when you add the e-bike and an accessory under $100. You can browse through Rad Power’s included accessories here. And head over to our Green Deals hub to look through all the other e-bike brands that are having spring sales, as well as deals on power stations, electric tools, water heaters, and more.

Spring e-bike deals!

Woman posing with yellow Hover-1 Altai Pro R750 e-bike against black backdrop - for post about WORX Aventon e-bike

Other new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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ZEEKR unveils deluxe version of its MPV with marble and curtain glass called the 009 Grand

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April 19, 2024

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ZEEKR unveils deluxe version of its MPV with marble and curtain glass called the 009 Grand

EV brand ZEEKR has unveiled a new ultra-luxe version of its existing 009 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). The new 4-seat ZEEKR 009 Grand was designed to deliver passengers “extreme luxury,” clad with polished marble, chrome accents, a giant LCD screen, and booming speakers. Did we mention it’s also speedy? Check this thing out.

ZEEKR remains a relatively young EV-centric brand based in China with expanding roots into new global markets, including Europe. The Geely-owned sub-brand’s current portfolio consists of four available models in addition to a new all-electric van called the MIX on the way.

ZEEKR’s second passenger model, the 009, was launched in 2023. It is a large multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) designed to provide sustainable luxury to larger families and livery customers. We had the opportunity to drive the 009 alongside ZEEKR’s flagship 001 shooting brake and were quite impressed.

The original ZEEKR 009 began production over a year ago, complete with energy-dense Qilin batteries from CATL, and has seen respectable sales in China so far. However, to ZEEKR, the 009 wasn’t plush enough, so its engineers have developed a new marble-clad variant that almost demands its chauffeur. Meet the ZEEKR 009 Grand.

ZEEKR’s new 009 Grand screams luxury inside and out

ZEEKR shared details of the 009 Grand today, following a launch event for the new MPV held in China. The automaker describes the updated model as a deluxe, four-seat variant of the 009 that offers its customers a “luxurious, secluded, quiet, comfortable, and safe oasis on the road.”

The front fascia features a stainless steel grille, hand-crafted by master artisans who complete 30 hours of polishing on each and every one. Moving around the side, 20-inch forged wheels have each undergone 10 separate manufacturing processes before 20 hours of polishing, followed by 240 stripes of light and shade laser etched onto its surface.

Speaking of polish, the rear interior cabin is where the ZEEKR 009 truly shines. Have a look.

The back features two comfortable seats with 12-zone support and 24-way adjustments – the only of their kind in the world, according to ZEEKR. An immersive experience is at the core of the design language of the ZEEKR 009 Grand, and its quite apparent from the images above.

The rear cabin features genuine hand-polished marble from the Himalayas, providing a stylish ledge below the MPV’s massive 43-inch mini LED smart screen. To add to the experience inside, ZEEKR has implemented a 31-speaker Yamaha Surround  Sound system. The entire rear area has been positioned to give the feel of a movie theater, including snacks.

 Rear passengers have access to a 18-liter refrigerator with cooling and heating capabilities and a built-in ultraviolet sterilization function. Another key element in delivering this private viewing experience is another industry-first – state-of-the-art LC light curtain glass. Per the release:

In its darkest state, this light curtain glass presents a pure black color. With a light transmittance of only 0.5%, it completely isolates the horns or gaze from the outside world.  With 10 levels of brightness adjustment, the fastest dimming takes only 1.5 seconds. A complete partition is set up between rows on the ZEEKR 009 Grand to create a private suite for backseat passengers. The camera in the rear cabin can automatically flip open in conference mode. Paired with the unique-in-class ‘Privacy Mode,’ the Zeekr 009 Grand guards the privacy of its masters.

“Masters” is an interesting choice of words. Moving on!

Below the 009 Grand is ZEEKR’s 800V platform technology powered by two silicon-carbide-powered electric motors and the aforementioned Qilin batteries, which offer 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration in 3.9 seconds and 702 km (436 miles) of CLTC range on a single charge.

Lastly, the 009 Grand features a sensor suite complete with LiDAR, high-definition cameras, and millimeter-wave radars, supporting advanced smart assist driving functions for whomever the master’s driver is.

The ZEEKR 009 Grand is available in China now at a starting price of RMB 789,000 ($109,000). Here’s a closer look at that Himalayan marble below:

Source: ZEEKR

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Disneyland announces Autopia will be all-electric within the next 30 months (Updated)

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April 19, 2024

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Disneyland announces Autopia will be all-electric within the next 30 months (Updated)

Photo by Jeremy Thompson on Flickr

Disney’s Autopia ride has been making headlines recently, after a park spokesperson told the LA Times that the park was considering ditching gas engines soon. But activists put the pressure on to ensure that Disney goes all-EV with the ride, and fast.

Late Thursday, those activists got their wish, and Disney announced that it would go all-electric with the ride within the next 30 months.

At first, Disney’s statement sounded a little noncommittal and open – they didn’t state a specific timeline, nor specify that the ride would be all-electric. So activists wanted to ensure that both of these things happened.

And late Thursday, Disney spokesperson Jessica Good told the LA Times that electrification “means fully electric — it does not mean hybrid or any other version of a gasoline combustion engine,” and that the park “will no longer be using the current engines within the next 30 months.”

Autopia is a classic ride in Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland” area, but given the EV world we’re living in, its current stinky gas-powered cars certainly don’t seem too futuristic.

The emissions from these engines cause smog and harm the health of those who breathe them – so putting them directly in front of small children isn’t the best idea. But the ride was sponsored by Chevron from 1998-2012, and that company is pretty dedicated to poisoning small children anyway, so it was apt.

Thankfully, in 2012, Disney attracted a new sponsor, Honda, and in 2016, Honda upgraded the engines for greater efficiency. However, the cars still create plenty of exhaust noise and smell, which is still poisonous to the children riding behind these polluting engines. It’s also poisonous to employees, to the point where Disney pays hazard pay to employees who are assigned to staff the ride.

2016 was also notably after EVs had proven themselves in the automotive realm. So upgrading to an old technology seems a little inappropriate for “Tomorrowland.” But Honda themselves have been behind the ball on the EV transition as well.

Tomorrowland is the section within Disneyland which was meant to show visions of the future. It first opened in 1955, and offers a time capsule of what a 1950s vision of the future might have looked like.

Needless to say, in the seven decades hence, things have changed somewhat. To the point where the original designer of the Autopia cars, Bob Gurr, who is now 92 and was interviewed by the LA Times, said “get rid of those God-awful gasoline fumes.”

It’s certainly ironic that in California, where EVs keep setting sales records and where you can’t even buy gas-powered “small off-road engines” anymore, a Disneyland parkgoer might drive to the park in a clean EV, only to show their children a vision of the past with a poisonous, low-performing gas engine on one of the admittedly more-fun rides in the park. Just imagine how much more fun the ride will be when it goes electric.

And Disney could do a lot more to update Tomorrowland with actual visions of the future, rather than an old-timey time capsule. The original Tomorrowland featured a “Carousel of Progress” show of futuristic efficient home appliances, and the Monorail and PeopleMover which both still exist. Disney could showcase more public transport or other post-car mobility options, ideas for futuristic city planning, induction cooktops and more.

But for now, making Autopia electric seems like a great first step.

To this end, local EV advocates and Plug In America are hosting a rally to celebrate Disney’s decision this Sunday, April 21 at 10am at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Not a bad way to spend Earth Day weekend, perhaps after attending one of the LA-area Drive Electric Earth Month events the day before (and one of the founders of Drive Electric Week, Zan Dubin-Scott, is organizing the Burbank rally). The rally was originally planned to put pressure on Disney to go all-EV, but in light of yesterday’s announcement, it has now turned into a celebration.

This article is updated from a previous version of the article which described the pressure being put on Disney to go all-electric. Not long after that article was posted, Disney clarified that it’s planning to go all-EV.

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