When “Beijing’s car industry” (read: BAIC) put forward the suggestion to exempt EVs from the license plate lottery, and when that suggestion was adopted, those in the know said: “Great idea, bad timing.” Why? There are no EVs one can buy in Beijing.“Beijing’s car industry” (read: BAIC) is about to change that.
CarNewsChina reports that “Beijing Auto will launch a full electric version of the BC301 hatchback and BC302 sedan in the second half of this year.”
Supposedly, the EV has a range of 130 kilometers, charging will take 6 to 7 hours on 220V (which is standard wall socket fare in China). A fast charger will be available for those who want to install one at home. Battery life is said to be 3 years or 60.000 kilometers. No pricing yet.
The BC301 is what some claim a carbon copy of the Mercedes B Class. Buy that car, and Beijingers will think you won the lottery – twice.
Meanwhile, The Nikkei [sub] reports the results of a study done by Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting. It identifies China as the world’s hottest EV market. The percentage of consumers who are likely to purchase or lease an EV within a year is 50 percent in China, 12 percent in the US, 16 percent in Europe and 4 percent in Japan, says the study.
And as some highly estimated character would say in Latin America… lo sospeche desde un principio.
OH Athos, stop being so conspiracy! You know, in reality it was sin querer queriendo!