The recent surge in fuel prices due to the war in Iran has spurred demand for electric vehicles around the world, and Chinese car makers are making the most of the opportunity.

  • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    1 day ago

    (It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when BYD sets up dealerships just north of the border, since Canada has given them the okay to import a certain number of vehicles per year.)

    Better to look at Australia. Low tariffs only apply to 50,000 cars made in China, which include Volvo and Teslerrr. This means the cars they import will be expensive.

    But Canada tried an experiment with BYD buses, they set up an assembly plant near Toronto in 2019 and the buses were so bad, no one ordered them because they broke in testing. Toronto ordered 25 and sued to get their money back, and by 2023, BYD Bus Canada was shut down after building a whopping 10 buses.

    Buying a new model from established car makers is a bad idea. The reality is there is no long term data on these Chinese EVs.

    • thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 day ago

      London (UK) has been successfully running BYD EV buses for years with no major issues. They’re cheaper than the diesels to run and quieter. Not sure why Canada had so much trouble.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        5 hours ago

        I was curious about that so tried googling ….

        Canadian buses were

        • earlier models - I see years like 2018
        • at least some were built in a new plant in Canada
        • part of the blame was lack of spare parts
        • part of the blame was limited range, especially in winter

        London buses

        • newer. I see years like 2024
        • no real winter
        • I see articles about a new larger battery to fix range issues
        • appeared to have similar problems, including a major recall for fire risk

        Maybe London benefitted from newer models and doesn’t get as cold as canada