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   mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 02:03:52 JST mekka okereke :verified:

   If you got upset at me for pointing out that more people died of Covid under Biden than Trump, in large part because Biden rolled back common sense restrictions that were in place under Trump...

   Then you'll hate me pointing out that Trump introduced a 25% tariff on Chinese EVs, and Biden is upping that to 100% tariff.

   https://insideevs.com/news/719283/chinese-ev-tariffs-biden-quadruple/

   We can't allow the US to get off of fossil fuels... unless US billionaires win! 🤡

   Fear the BYD Dolphin! (an EV car for $12K)
   https://m.youtube.com/shorts/T3nfyO_UHjk

   • Joe Ortiz repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Tim Bray (timbray@cosocial.ca)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 02:03:46 JST Tim Bray

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke Dunno if you saw this… sobering: https://insideevs.com/features/719015/china-is-ahead-of-west/

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 02:03:51 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     The US hasn't even tried to make an ultra affordable EV. Not even an attempt!

     Instead, we make Cybertrucks that no one wants, and then work the refs to kneecap better, smarter companies, to try and prevent anyone else from being successful at doing it.

     Everyday, I hear people prattle on about how the US Venture Capital industry is so innovative and forward-looking. Yet of all the billions spent (wasted), none of them were smart enough to fund a company making ultra low cost EVs.

     clacke likes this.
     Darnell Clayton :verified: repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     James Brooke (jcarttarbrooke@mastodon.social)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 09:23:52 JST James Brooke

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke It is time to make a legit Volts-Wagon!
     Put it in a freeking beetle chassis!

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     pettter (pettter@mastodon.acc.umu.se)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 17:57:25 JST pettter

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke this was a fascinating deep dive on that topic: https://insideevs.com/features/719015/china-is-ahead-of-west/

   • Embed this notice
     Lyle Solla-Yates (lyle@cville.online)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 20:57:59 JST Lyle Solla-Yates

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke I guess it’s unpatriotic, but I would like to be able to buy a safe vehicle that I can afford that does not destroy the climate I require to live comfortably, and I also don’t want an escalating trade war with unclear costs to the people I care about.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 20:58:04 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Lyle Solla-Yates

     @Lyle

     Safe vehicle?! That you can afford?! That doesn't destroy the environment?!?!

     "Are you now, or have you ever been a member of, the communist party?"

     I'd ask, but I think I already know the answer here Lyle. Or should I say, Lenin!

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 20:58:08 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     Ultra low cost EVs will be the vast majority of all cars sold in the world by 2060. Look at how big the global auto industry is! That's a huge opportunity! And almost every US VC passed on it! 🤡

     Warren Buffett was smart enough to see where this was all headed, and invested heavily in BYD back in the day. But Berkshire Hathaway is more of a private equity / diversified holding company, than a VC.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Isaac Lyman (isaaclyman@toot.cafe)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 20:58:13 JST Isaac Lyman

     in reply to

     • Kevin Marks

     @KevinMarks @mekkaokereke The sudden popularity of cargo e-bikes in my neighborhood (lots of families with young kids) has been surprising. We got one for fun and exercise, but now we can hardly convince the kids to get in the car for anything. They want to ride on back of the e-bike.

     That’s okay though. I did the math. Mile for mile, e-bike is cheaper by far.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Kevin Marks (kevinmarks@xoxo.zone)'s status on Sunday, 12-May-2024 20:58:14 JST Kevin Marks

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke the real disruptive innovation in vehicles is cargo ebikes. They fit Christensen's criteria perfectly

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 02:46:46 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • CelloMom On Cars
     • WeeDramAtic

     @WeeDramAtic @CelloMomOnCars

     🤦🏿♂️Attribution bias.

     Most Americans aren't rich. Most Americans could not afford a Cybertruck or Model S, even if they wanted one.

     Consider a 22 year old woman that needs to buy a car to work. She only has a budget of $15K to buy a car. She's scared of used cars, because she's lost a job before when her car needed expensive repairs that she couldn't afford. Which car should she buy?

     In Australia or Brazil, she could buy a new EV. In the US, she can't.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     CelloMom On Cars (cellomomoncars@mastodon.social)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 02:46:48 JST CelloMom On Cars

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke

     18 percent of all cars sold worldwide in 2023 were EVs.

     https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024/executive-summary

     But in the US, it's only 6.5%.

     https://www.edmunds.com/electric-car/articles/percentage-of-electric-cars-in-us.html

     Why? Because Americans are by and large offered the most expensive EVs.
     Those of us with more modest means get priced out, and the more affordable EVs aren't allowed into the US.

     Because profits.

   • Embed this notice
     WeeDramAtic (weedramatic@mastodon.social)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 02:46:48 JST WeeDramAtic

     in reply to

     • CelloMom On Cars

     @CelloMomOnCars @mekkaokereke
     Sales prices of new cars are not a good explanation for why EV market share is so low in America, because Americans are buying expensive ICE vehicles.
     The economics are even less of an excuse in terms of the all-in cost, including fuel and maintenance.

     Unfortunately Americans are carbrains incapable of acknowledging any of the harms of their lifestyle choices, especially the rich ones who are buying new vehicles.

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 21:14:31 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     @Sir_Osis_of_Liver

     🤔
     1) The US has ridiculous things like "medical bankruptcy," "working homeless," and "school lunch debt." If you lined up all of the world's people by net worth, with Elon and Bezos at the front of the line, and the least wealthy people at the back of the line, the only country with more people at the tail of the line than the US, would be India (farmer's debt).

     Most Chinese workers couldn't understand how you could be $300K in debt without a gambling problem.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 (sir_osis_of_liver@beige.party)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 21:14:32 JST Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke

     If the US industry is allowed to pay Chinese wages, have Chinese government subsidies, and Chinese environmental and labour regulations, they could also produce EVs at Chinese prices.

     The Europeans are currently looking into tariffs on Chinese imports under their anti-dumping laws.

     https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/eu-set-allow-possible-retroactive-tariffs-chinese-evs-2024-03-05/

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 22:05:53 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Birds Books and Bullshit

     @NanoBookReview

     If what you said were true, then they wouldn't be so afraid of letting those cars into the market. Because people would just choose the Western cars. Free market and all that.

     But what you said is not true.

     And we know that, because we see what happens in markets where both Chinese and Western EVs are available for sale. People at the entry level choose the Chinese cars.

     And the BYD Dolphin has a *higher* EU safety rating than the BMW 5 series.

     https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/112428503861892994

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Birds Books and Bullshit (nanobookreview@zirk.us)'s status on Monday, 13-May-2024 22:05:54 JST Birds Books and Bullshit

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke Those Chinese cars are *extremely* subsidized and very low quality. People with access to both "Western" and Chinese cars are favoring the western cars, despite being more expensive because the Chinese ones just plain aren't very good. Hopefully they'll get better with time, like a lot of Chinese products have, but their auto industry is still ridiculously subsided. Like, those cars cost roughly the same to make as any other car, and they're losing money selling them.

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 14-May-2024 00:00:48 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     @Sir_Osis_of_Liver

     I was almost going to disagree with you, but your last paragraph includes the part that I agree with! 🙂

     With developing public transportation, legacy infra has nothing to do with the difference between China and the US. Most of China's rail infra was built in the past 20 years. They've *added* more miles of commuter rail, than the US *has total*.

     In terms of underutilization, one way to look at that, is that they've invested in the infra, and hope to grow into their shoes.

     clacke likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 (sir_osis_of_liver@beige.party)'s status on Tuesday, 14-May-2024 00:00:49 JST Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     in reply to

     @mekkaokereke
     It's not a question of being smarter. It's a difference in history.

     The US has a legacy transportation system that needs to be reformed.

     China has only had widespread private car ownership relatively recently. Public transportation was more entrenched because of this.

     Having said that, Chinese passenger rail, especially high speed rail has been losing money as operating costs remain high, and usage on many routes has been overestimated. It's only a matter of time before some of these lines end up dropped.

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 14-May-2024 00:00:50 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     @Sir_Osis_of_Liver

     2) The US subsidizes our car industry more than anyone else by far. We just choose to subsidize fossil fuels, big trucks, and car culture. We can't get mad at China for being smarter about what they choose to subsidize (EVs and public transportation). We could do this too! AOC tried to get us to do it as part of the Green New Deal. We compromised, and got a weak half effort as part of Biden's infrastructure bill. It's not enough for us to compete.

   • Embed this notice
     mekka okereke :verified: (mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io)'s status on Tuesday, 14-May-2024 00:00:58 JST mekka okereke :verified:

     in reply to

     • Sir Osis of Liver 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

     @Sir_Osis_of_Liver

     I wish that California had a completed rail system between San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Las Vegas*, that was clean, safe, and fast, but was "suffering" from low ridership. I wish that each city also had a London underground or Tokyo subway quality subway system, that had the same problems.

     (* Yes I listed Las Vegas as California. Don't ask me to explain! 🙂 No, I didn't "forget" Fresno or Barstow! Build a tunnel and let us zoom past and skip them entirely.)

     clacke likes this.