EVs Answer Automotive Enthusiasm – CleanTechnica

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Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, many Americans watched auto racing and attended automotive enthusiast events. The Indy 500 was held, the largest single-day sporting event in the world with over 300,000 live spectators. And, while the death of Kyle Busch put an emotional damper on the event and mother nature ended it with rain, NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 also had around 100,000 fans in attendance. In addition, many classic car shows were held throughout the country. I heard some people doubting if EV’s could provide the same level of excitement and enthusiasm.

That reminded me of my recent trip to China. My friend, Daniel Romero, of Road Trip Reviews, invited me and Riz Akhtar, of carloop, The Driven and Ludicrous Feed to a nearby racetrack to check out some custom cars from his friend Black Ma and a track event sponsored by BitAuto.

First up was the Tesla Model 3 LL. This Model 3 Performance was stretched to 6.1 meters long, but it isn’t just a show car. The car is used for drifting demonstrations with three rows of passengers. I was even able to drive this car around the track. Despite the stretched body, it handled surprisingly well. I quickly forgot about the length and started focusing more on my driving lines. The level of performance was impressive, likely a bit terrifying for the people riding behind me. Black Ma has also stretched a more “practical” Wuling Mini, but it was not there at the track. However, there is no real practical reason for these cars to exist, but I am glad they do.

However, there were not just EV custom cars there. Black Ma let us ride in his widened “M3 Squared,” which is actually a Volkswagen under the skin. Despite the massive spoiler, that was not as fast, but you just smile ear to ear going around the track. It may have an engine, but it is only good for a little fun on the track. Nobody is commuting in this car. Black Ma also had a giant and similarly impractical V8 powered golden boot, which I didn’t drive.

However, I did drive a Yang Wang U8 around the track and try out the tank turn capability. That massive 1200 hp vehicle is faster than it has any right to be. Unnecessarily fast. Meanwhile, luxury amenities and materials are excellent. This well-sorted, swimming, off-road capable SUV is also far beyond what anyone absolutely needs, including in technology and comfort features, but it still serves a purpose in showing what’s possible.

On the side of the track, there were also several production EVs next to a tight autocross course. Some were more practical, while others were more entertaining. I was able to briefly drive the Toyota bZ7, which is like a practical electric Camry from the future with a better interior. I also drove the Nissan NX8, which could serve a similar practical role compared to a Rogue. For a more traditional SUV-shape, the Chery iCAR V27 was able to get around the course well despite its size. I was able to drive the more exciting but still practical and Nio EC7 and check out its self-parking function in a spot I wouldn’t try on my own. Then I got to drive the Lotus “For Me”/Eletre, which gets back to the entertainment focus. That was fun to drive through the corners, if not quite the same “add lightness” historical philosophy of the Lotus brand. There were also many other cars that I didn’t get to drive.

All seemed to be well-built and technologically advanced, but they gave a sense of the diversity of EVs to fit the diverse needs of a wide range of different consumers. Beyond the new cars and custom cars, there were also multiple race cars at the track. An electric race car was testing, and several older ICE drift cars were parked nearby.

I started up a conversation with one of the people at the event. He restores and races vintage Mini’s. However, his daily driver is a Nio Firefly. He said that in China enthusiasts increasingly do not see a distinction between EV and ICE for new cars. They just want better cars, and the EVs are just better. Not just less costly to run and maintain, but also often higher performance and more fun to drive. EVs can be more convenient, safe and luxurious to drive with a family. And when they can save fuel, time and money driving an EV for their daily commute, they can still keep a classic car for the occasional vintage race or weekend drive.

Even if that may not please the EV purists, the amount of fuel burned for that occasional classic car use is minimal. Getting people to see EVs as part of their automotive enthusiasm, rather than being in conflict with it, will also help to bring more people onboard. That includes the “car guys” that friends and family turn to for automotive advice. Once they experience what EVs can do, there is a good chance that they will make electric cars the center of their enthusiasm as well.

Different Roads To Electrification

Memorial Day weekend also saw a different kind of car use. Frustrating, bumper-to-bumper traffic for a weekend getaway. The kind of driving that many would prefer to avoid. High fuel prices were also impacting not just drivers but almost every product and service that involves burning petroleum in this country. Pain at the pump is a spreading pain.

Some will claim that the answer is austerity. They will advocate cancelling the weekend trip or choosing a far less capable vehicle in the name of efficiency. Some will also try to make every conversation about climate change. But everybody has already heard about climate change at this point and harping on it now will not make anyone smarter, even if it is pleasing to the people who are already in agreement. It will not convert the people who choose not to believe it, but it will make them dig in their heels. As long as people see EVs as the enemy to their preferred automobile-related lifestyle, then mass EV adoption will be held back. But if people buy EVs because they like them, they will often start supporting the other benefits of electric vehicles, including reduced emissions. Most people tend to rationalize their preferences, rather than forming preferences based on rational arguments.

Overall, there are some differences in China. They do have a more developed education system and technology supply chains.  Families often do not have a long history with automobiles. Many people did not grow up working on cars, as their families did not own them. Many families are now having EVs as their first new cars. Prices are lower. Wealth is younger, as is the average new car buyer. That leads to higher technology expectations.

However, Chinese people really are not that different than Americans. There are some people who prioritize efficiency and others who prefer comfort. Many like the  large SUVs that were once thought of as uniquely American. Others are enthusiastic about performance cars. Some are looking for status, while others want something more practical. Many are looking for value for their hard-earned money, while others seek indulgence. Increasingly, they are unwilling to compromise and expect something better with each new generation.

However, Chinese consumers are also increasingly finding something better from EVs. They are finding performance, safety, technology, luxury, status and enthusiasm. Different people can choose between a vast array of different cars to fit their needs and preferences. Consumers are finding the attributes they want at typically lower purchase prices than less capable legacy ICE. That is what is driving EV market penetration in China above 60% overall, with numbers even higher in Tier 1 cities. What we are seeing in China now could be a glimpse of what the electrified future might look like in the US one day. Providing consumers with an array of choices to meet their individual needs at lower cost is can drive up EV penetration in the US as well.