In the recent flooding in Quangdong and Shenzhen, Chinese EVs were the star performers in overcoming the odds. BYD's Yangwang U8s and Xiaomi's SU7s were seen driving through the flood like boats in water, while other brands were either stalling or parked on higher grounds to be safe. The picture was also repeated in the Dubai flood. Owners of BYD's U8 were thankful that their EVs lived up to their reputation to survive in the flood.
The wonders of Chinese EVs did not stop here. A Huawei EV was caught parking in a basement parking lot threatened by rising water. It called up its owners for permission to move to higher ground. When permission was granted by the owner, it self drove to the upper floors to avoid the flood water.
The Chinese AI assisted EVs are getting smarter by the day. Some of these EVs have taken on a second job as Didi cars for hired. Didi is the Chinese version of Uber. After sending their owners to their place of work or home, the EVs would run around picking up passengers to earn extra income for their owners. This is like owning a money making machine! The EVs can actually pay for themselves and their own upkeep.
The possibilities of what the AI assisted EVs can do are only limited by human ingenuity, and this is just the beginning. China is the undisputed home of innovation for EVs.
1 comment:
It seems that Toyota's bet on Hydrogen fuel vehicles is a losing proposition. The Japanese are still trying to flog a dying horse.
In the USA, people are having extreme difficulty in finding access to hydrogen refueling stations for their vehicles. And refueling is extremely expensive compared to ICE vehicles. Therefore, the feedback for hydrogen fuel vehicles is very negative for Toyota, even in Japan itself.
The first problem that needs tackling in order for hydrogen vehicles to go mainstream is the building of more refueling stations, which is very expensive, and which will then need special hydrogen tankers to do periodical topping up of those stations, some in faraway isolated places, in order to keep them functioning. The same as petrol stations needing oil tankers to top up their supplies periodically. Imagine having trucks running all over the country, carrying such a dangerous cargo that is highly explosive.
The second problem is that hydrogen fuel vehicles are still relatively small in number in the USA and setting up more refueling stations are not cost effective. The China market is beyond Toyota to turn around from EVs. Toyota is stuck between the 'chicken and egg' situation. Which will they do first? Sell more hydrogen fuel vehicles without adequate supporting facilities, or building refueling stations that may become 'white elephants' if sales of hydrogen fuel vehicles do not pick up.
While the whole world is betting on EVs, even in the USA and Europe, despite their objection towards Chinese EV domination, the building of charging stations or battery swapping facilities will undoubtedly continue to expand and not go to waste.
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