SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY

Mini Electric Cars Fill Gap in China as Official EVs Sputter

from Reuters

The tiny electric car that Chen Xianping drives to work over bumpy country roads in Shandong province says much about the hurdles facing China's efforts to promote electric vehicles and the big car companies' efforts to sell them.

It's not a beautiful machine. The Shifeng brand car resembles a plump Fiat Mini with oversized headlights and has a top speed of about 50 kilometres per hour.

But Chen's little car has a big advantage: It cost only 31,600 yuan (about $5,000), far cheaper than BYD's larger e6, which costs 369,800 yuan ($58,700). And it helps that it's not a real car in the eyes of the government.