There’s a lesson to take from China’s abandoned electric cars
There’s a lesson to take from China’s abandoned electric cars that are going viral right now, and it’s not that EVs won’t work.
Over the last month or so, you might have seen many videos and articles about “thousands of abandoned electric vehicles in China.”
EV naysayers have used those stories to argue that electric vehicles will fail. However, that’s not really the lesson to take away from this unfortunate situation.
First off, it’s true that there are thousands of electric vehicles abandoned in fields around cities in China – possibly tens of thousands. However, almost all of them are electric vehicles that were part of car-sharing or ride-hailing services that have failed in the country.
Inside China Auto recently posted a video showing one of those so-called “Chinese EV graveyards.”
Sure enough, this particular “Chinese EV graveyard” was full of Neta V and BAIC BJEV EC3 electric vehicles, which were almost entirely used by ride-hailing and car-sharing services.
Over the last few years, several car-sharing companies have folded after deploying thousands of low-range EVs in cities – leaving those cars in limbo.
Some have suggested that those abandoned vehicles are brand-new and are examples of companies trying to take advantage of government subsidies for electric vehicles.
At least in this example, it doesn’t seem to be the case, as most of those vehicles appear to have been used. Some are actually badly damaged, which could be due to the fact that they weren’t very well taken care of while being in car-sharing programs.
It’s also what likely make them hard to sell.
Similar sights have been spotted in about half a dozen cities around China.
Electrek’s Take
So what is the lesson? It’s certainly not that EVs will fail. For starters, we are talking about fewer than 20,000 EVs in a country that has millions of electric vehicles.
Secondly, this is a story about subpar EVs failing. Most of those vehicles have less than 100 miles of range – many of them have less than 50 miles of range.
Car-sharing companies thought they could flood cities with these and they would get used, but it wasn’t the case. Their low cost didn’t compensate for their poor performance and experience – especially when using public transport would generally get you to where you need to go faster in those cities.
Therefore, I think the lesson here is that EVs will succeed by being better vehicles than internal combustion vehicles – not inferior products like these. Also, using them with car-sharing or ride-hailing services doesn’t compensate for the product not being good.
The saddest thing about this whole situation is the fact that those vehicles are not being recycled and are just sitting there. Someone should get on that.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
After teasing the launch of its first two-wheeled product, the drone and camera powerhouse DJI has now unveiled an electric mountain bike under the Amflow brand. Take a look at the new Amflow PL, powered by DJI’s own new drive system.
Amflow is described as a new electric mountain bike brand incubated by DJI and is responsible for the eMTB’s ultra-light carbon fiber frame design.
The e-bike’s motor is all DJI. As the company explained, “DJI’s long history of R&D in motor, battery technology, and software development drove the creation of the DJI Avinox Drive System, which powerfully combines torque, battery capacity, 2-inch OLED touchscreen, remote controls, and a charger/supercharger.”
According to the company, the motor system includes a compound planetary gearset that helps it provide its “industry-leading power-to-size ratio.”
The 600 Wh battery is quite svelte, too, weighing just 2.9 kg (6.3 lb), with the entire bike tipping the scales at a lightweight 19.2 kg (42 lb). Sure, that’d be a chunky normal mountain bike, but it’s quite an easy lift for an eMTB.
An 800 Wh battery is also available, as is a 500W fast charger that can send the bike from 0-75% charge level in just 1.5 hours.
That DJI Avinox mid-drive motor is said to output 850W of peak power in standard riding modes and up to 1,000W in Boost Mode (despite the cute little sticker reading “250W”). Perhaps even more impressive though is the torque. The Avinox is said to provide 105 Nm of torque that jumps up to 120 Nm of torque in Boost Mode.
Among other ride modes is Auto Mode, that adapts assistance in real-time based on surface conditions and riding position.
“As engineers with a passion for mountain biking, we have seen a lot of tech innovation that has never found its way into the eMTB scene,” said Peter Archer, Amflow Senior Product Specialist at Amflow. “We have married our tech expertise with our passion and today we’re introducing Amflow to the mountain biking community with our very first product, the Amflow PL. We believe this is a significant moment for the eMTB industry with innovative technology and ultra-light material combining to turn any terrain into a wonderland of possibilities for eMTB riders.”
The Avinox drive system uses a 2-inch OLED full-color control built-in touchscreen display that also functions as the interactive center of the system. Riders can connect their smartphones via the Avinox app to access a range of smart features, including bike security, data recording and sharing, assist parameter adjustments, and real-time bike status checking. The system is tech savvy enough to include “innovative dual Wireless Controllers with Bluetooth connectivity for added convenience and a clutter-free handlebar setup.”
As much as we’ve learned about DJI’s new motor system, we still don’t know much about the bike itself, other than that it apparently has a super lightweight carbon fiber frame.
With any luck, we’ll learn more about the bike’s details soon. But suffice it to say that DJI has come out swinging with its first e-bike drive system, ready to shake up the status quo that typically sees German mid-drive motors on high-end bikes competing against Chinese mid-drives on more affordable options. With DJI’s design prowess, Chinese mid-drives might be heading for higher end e-bikes near you.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Hydrogen fuel cell specialists Hyzon have announced plans to quit Australia even as sales of battery electric commercial trucks climb.
For a while, it seemed like Hyzon had found something of a home in Australia. Recently, the American startup had announced pilot programs that would see its hydrogen fuel cells put to work in transit buses in Brisbane, tow trucks (above) in Victoria, and five 154-ton severe duty trucks scheduled to service a zinc refinery operation in north Queensland.
Alas, it seems like it’s not enough – Hyzon said Monday that, after a review of its business operations, it has “started realigning its strategic priorities along several lines to focus on the company’s core North American markets and the refuse industry.”
The company said it was hoping to raise new capital to get its 200 kW HFCs into series production, and has retained investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate a number of options, up to and including an outright sale of the company.
Meanwhile, BEVs are doing great
Meanwhile, Australia’s commercial BEV sales are booming. The entire country saw just under 100 battery electric trucks sold in 2022, but that number jumped to 256 in 2023 and continues to climb in 2024.
As if to underscore that fact, ANC (a leading, UPS-style last mile delivery partner for many of the Australia’s large retailers) has announced plans to spend more than $45 million.
ANC is calling the initiative “Project Spark,” and it’s being backed by a $12.8 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) specifically designed to address the barrier presented by the initially higher up-front costs of EVs. ARENA is also working to provide EV buyers with discounted leasing options, and generally “improved” EV charging infrastructure.
Project Spark is expected to add 112 new BEVs to Australia’s roads within the next year.
“It promises to kick-start a step change in electrifying last mile delivery in Australia by lowering the total costs to own and run electric trucks,” said Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA. “The project demonstrates use cases for battery electric trucks in last mile operations, tackling constraints that have so far made it hard for the industry to transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles.”
Electrek’s Take
No one said it better than MAN CEO, Alexander Vlaskamp, who said that it was “impossible” for hydrogen trucks to effectively compete with BEVs. That interview is definitely worth a re-read, but to see companies like Hyzon suffering in even the most hydrogen-friendly markets out there is to believe Vlaskamp, even if you already believed him, just that little bit more.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Hyzon, ANC; via the Driven.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports3 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports8 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company