Tenchu's Thoughts: Cheap Chinese EVs
I know the news, as well as this thread, is all about Trump having unprotected sex with an ugly-ass pron star, covering it up, then being subject to an oMg wItCh hUnT wItCh hUnT wItCh hUnT ...
But I feel this is an even more important subject. Specifically I wanted to say something about these "cheap Chinese EVs," including the ones that NPR is talking about in this very article:
China makes cheap electric vehicles. Why can't American shoppers buy them? (NPR)
Meanwhile, cheap — really cheap — Chinese EVs are proliferating. The BYD Seagull costs just $10,000 in China. The Seagull would cost more than $10,000 in the U.S., given that it would have to be modified to meet U.S. safety standards. But you could double the price of the Seagull and it would still be a steal. In fact, you could double the price and pay the 27.5% tariff, and it would still undercut every EV for sale in the United States. This was the same exact way that Japan entered the U.S. auto market back in the 1970's, and Korea entered it in the 80's, only this time it's for EVs.
Brandon of course doesn't want that to happen (again), so even recently he raised tariffs:
Biden sets huge new tariffs on electric vehicles, chips and other goods from China (USAToday)
(This of course was a very hypocritical move by Brandon given how much he criticized Trump's tariffs. But hey, hypocrites will call hypocrites hypocrites, and that's beside the point.)
Costs of buying and owning an EV
One of the biggest barriers to owning an EV here in America is cost. The upfront cost is already higher compared to a similar-sized gas-powered vehicle. And the gas savings may or may not make up for the higher maintenance costs.
Moreover, the impact to one's driving habits and lifestyles is pretty big given how EV batteries take a relatively long time to charge compared to filling up a gas tank.
So what's one solution to that? Make the upfront cost REALLY cheap.
China's EVs can potentially do that. China would LOVE to flood the market with cheap EVs. And it's possible that American consumers are ready and willing to take a chance with these cheap-ass EVs.
Environmental benefits
So why aren't the Democrats pushing for these cheap-ass EVs?
Isn't one of their goals to save the planet?
Isn't one of their goals to get more people off of those gas-guzzling (and planet-killing) internal combustion engines?
Isn't one of their goals to reduce the carbon shoe size of the U.S. and achieve "climate justice" in the process?
After all, think about the poor Africans who are lItErAlLy dying because the globe is heating up. "Global cooking," says Bill Nye the so-called "science guy."
Think about those poor island nations that will soon be underwater because we want to go grocery shopping in big inefficient SUVs.
Think about all those hurricanes, all those wildfires, all those natural disasters, that we are lItErAlLy creating because we choose not to carpool, or we choose not to take mass transit, or we choose not to bike to work.
Shouldn't Brandon be promoting all of these cheap-ass EVs so that we can finally fulfill Captain Pelosi Planet's mission?
But But Those Chinese Subsidies! But but Chinese Slave Labor!
One of the biggest arguments in favor of tariffs is that China is already "cheating" in the global economy.
They are subsidizing their auto makers.
"Slave labor" is essentially legalized in China.
China is therefore dumping cheap EVs into the global market.
But here's the thing. If China is subsidizing these EVs, then we should buy MORE of them, not less. That way, we benefit from their subsidies, and we can put a drain on the coffers of the Chinese government.
As for their slave labor, that may be a genuine concern, but that's a concern with pretty much anything produced overseas, from Nike sneakers to iPhones, from oil to silicon.
Moreover, China already has issues with their labor and manufacturing, because the younger generation doesn't want to work in factories. In other words, China's days of cheap labor are coming to an end. It'd be nice if we can hasten that end.
Cheap Chinese-made Products
Of course, Chinese-made products also have a reputation for being shoddy and low-quality.
But other than safety concerns, so what? Let the free market decide whether to spend $10K on a cheaply-made Chinese EV that ends up breaking down after 50K miles.
Let the Chinese EV manufacturers suffer the hit to their reputation.
Look at Hyundai, for example. Even though they have significantly improved since their entry into the U.S. market, they will always be associated with cheap cars. ("You're representing me now. What you think, I'm gonna let you roll in a Hyundai?" - The Fast and the Furious 3: Toyko Drift)
Why not allow the Chinese to prove that their EVs are the POS that many view them to be? That'll hurt their collective reputation for decades to come.
(And if the Chinese EVs don't prove to be POS, well then they deserve to win in the free market.)
America First, or Planet First?
Ultimately, Brandon chose America First over Planet First.
Instead of the environmental benefits of having more EVs on the road, Brandon chose to try and protect American jobs and protect American car makers.
Brandon knows that he has the environ-mentalist vote locked up, so in an election year, he's trying to reach out to blue collar union workers.
That might sound obvious, but what isn't obvious is how dire the political situation is for the Democrats.
This is because the Democrats are in danger of losing the blue-collar union vote.
Many of them feel betrayed by the new woke Democrat Party. They are told to remain on the reservation and always "Vote Blue" and always "Vote Union." And of course, the corrupt union leadership is joined at the hip with the Democratic National Party.
But their jobs keep disappearing. And their values are under threat by the pronoun-shouters and the LGBBQ activists and the Hamas supporters on college campuses and the checkbox-obsessed lefties who practically reinvented identity politics.
Who do you think is responsible for the blue collar vote jumping ship?
That's right, the Orange Narcoleptic who can't STFU.
And he stands to benefit the MOST from the Democrats and their dilemma regarding blue collar voters vs. environ-mentalists.
Tenchusatsu |
