BYD isn't exactly better... But I guess this will be cheaper. You lose out on the really handy supercharging network tho... Don't know how this will work out...
I don't live in the US either, CCS2 is the standard where I live, and Tesla chargers are open to anyone, but that is more expensive compared to non-Tesla, and I find that Tesla's network is more reliable in general compared to others. Certain times of the year, also less crowded.
We also have the same CCS2 charging, but idk why others seem to have less reliable chargers compared to the supercharging network. It's also available to all, but it's more expensive for non-Tesla's, unless you're on the monthly subscription plan.
The annual car reliability survey by Consumer Reports found EVs are 79 percent more likely to have problems than conventional cars. Consumers reported electric drive motors, charging and EV batteries had the most common issues associated with EVs, according to the survey....
The Chinese built ones that supply Asia and Australasia are almost faultless as well. My one is an earlier model, US-built, and you can definitely tell the quality difference even with the early models that came from China.
When China’s prodigious tech influencer, Naomi Wu, found herself silenced, it wasn’t just the machinery of a surveillance state at play. Instead, it was a confluence of state repression and the sometimes capricious attention of a Western audience that, as she asserts, often views Chinese activists more as ideological tokens...
She was always keeping a moderate tone, always leaning towards supporting China and the Chinese state as well. I thought she'd skip around the censors because of it.
Life expectancy did increase, with a few blips in the 1930's, but this doesn't seem particularly out of the ordinary, it also increased during the Tsarist government if you look outside of the Sino-Japanese War and WWI era. There really isn't much consensus here, as well as a marked increase in living standards.
Other countries during that time period also had significant life expectancy increases over that period, which I think is just attributed to better infant mortality rates.
The only metric that that could be demonstrably better than than the Tsarist regime was education levels and literacy as a whole.
It was really from mid-1930's that Soviet Russia was actually pulling away from the Tsarist regime. But who's to tell that, had not WWI happened that gradual development would happen under the Tsar, or even the Provisional Government?
Germany had been worried about Russia's potential since both the German Empire and the Third Reich.
Similarly, you do see a different rate of industrialisation from post-WWII China and Japan.
China's President sent his own daughter to Harvard and China has wide income inequality, as well as the greatest proportion of millionaires and billionaires in the world. The wealthy in China go on day trips to Paris to literally eat cake.
The US could definitely do that, their logistics capabilities are immense. On top of that you have the submarine fleet, as well as assistance from regional allies. Probably not enough to take the entire country, but enough for it to capitulate through conventional means.
Well, it may come as a shock to them, but having wealth in China improves your life considerably more than in the US. Unless of course, you challenge the Chairman.
The Chinese state is cracking down on billionaires and the wealthy, to some extent, mainly as they are a challenge to the states own power. Not as a result of much else. Loyal ones, particularly close to Xi, are left alone.
China continues to be highly neoliberal in business practice, supported and subsidised by the state, if you're in a key industry, particularly as China faces economic downturn. Chinese workers are pliant, and educated. Which is why Elon Musk is there.
The proletariat do not hold the power in China, they are seen as a threat by the Chinese elite. Hence a heavy surveillance state, and large propaganda arm.
The transition from socialism to capitalism, in theory, does not include a devolution back to capitalism lol. Xi Jinping has created more wealth for the Chinese elite than any other previous Chinese President. Unless you think the Germans were also socialist during the 30's and 40's.
But he does. Sending your kids to Harvard isn't exactly cheap. His personal wealth is only beaten by his political power. Marxism and Leninism are political ideologies, not just economic. Xi also nods his head to Mao, but that doesn't mean anything. Donald Trump also nods his head to Lincoln and Washington.
You don't seem to understand the difference between the party propaganda line, and the actual reality. A lot of urban educated in China do understand this, and know how to toe the line.
We do business dealings in China, and let me tell you that American workers are compensated more for their efforts than the Chinese workers are. That's why we do business in China lol. Its also why we do business in the Philippines. Mainly because we can profit, and Chinese owners can host an elaborate party for us (mainly because their margins are larger than ours). They feel compelled to because it's a prestige thing, to be able to flaunt wealth. But it's not exactly aristocratic, which is my background. One of the wives for example showed us their plate collection for example, which easily breaks over $100k in value, they had some interesting pieces, such as Queen Elizabeth state sets (my family has one of those somewhere), but they won't understand the difference between all the plates, or what they are (that's what the servants are for). It's literally just meaningless consumption, more bourgeois capitalist than you can ever imagine. I've had Chinese businessmen literally call me while they're in France, asking what kind of watch they should buy. It's never under $5,000 at least. One of them bought an Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 in Hong Kong. And these aren't workers lol. Chinese workers aren't meeting with American billionaires, owners of big pharma, literal royalty. It's a class that has been built and expanded under Xi Jinping's reign that has. Just look at Feng Shui, and how the focus is on raking in money, and more importantly, keeping it.
China has 21 nuclear reactors under construction which will have a capacity for generating more than 21 gigawatts of electricity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is two and a half times more nuclear reactors under construction than any other country....
But it's not the general public who is averse to nuclear, they're as a whole, probably more in favour of it. The current Swedish governmrnt campaigned on it. It's nuclear companies themselves who don't want it. Which is partially why Sweden suddenly and quietly scrapped their plans.
It's not profitable. For example, in Sweden, the companies involved aren't interested. There was talk of EDF being restructured a couple of years back separating the unprofitable nuclear away from their other businesses (until state bailout and investment). Their CFO resigned over their decision to carry on building UK's latest nuclear powerplant. The Conservatives only pushed through the UK's next nuclear powerplant only after giving EDF assurances and ability to start taking in profits before the completion of the project.
This is what it takes to build nuclear. A lot of state money... Whereas renewables are cheaper, easier, and faster to decarbonise.
Governments are also looking for efficient ROI when assigning taxpayers money, it helps with other infrastructure projects. Renewables for example, can endlessly buy other renewables. Rather than endlessly supporting just the one. If you can find a single nuclear powerplant in operation that did break-even, lmk because I am unaware of any that has achieved even that. Best-case academic study I've seen for nuclear if they could find a 25% cut to the cost.
In theory, when it's working, yes it will. Only after being over a decade late and being everal times over budget. They'll probably keep it going for as long as humanly possible, until the cost of maintaining it is no longer economically feasible. They'll try to claw back as much of that investment as possible. But as we know with nuclear projects, they never will. It's why China is betting big on renewables.
You think nuclear powerplants don't require parts replacements, maintenance, or shut down over the weather either? France, US, and Finland had to delay the opening of their latest plants because they already had to replace parts before they even started. This isn't Finland's first nuclear reactor. Their next one has been cancelled because of the war in Ukraine (Rosatom) The others are being throttled down for maintenance, and it won't be long until this new one also requires it. As it is, they're already understaffed.
40% of US electricity is now emissions-free (arstechnica.com)
SIXT ditches Tesla cars for BYD in its electrification push citing abysmal depreciation and repair costs - NotebookCheck.net News (www.notebookcheck.net)
EVs less reliable than conventional cars: Consumer Reports [Lauren Sforze | 11/29/23 | The Hill] (thehill.com)
The annual car reliability survey by Consumer Reports found EVs are 79 percent more likely to have problems than conventional cars. Consumers reported electric drive motors, charging and EV batteries had the most common issues associated with EVs, according to the survey....
[POLL] Do you use/require a headphone jack on your phone? (strawpoll.com)
Alternatively, if your current phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, do you wish it did?
EXCLUSIVE: Naomi Wu and the Silence That Speaks Volumes (www.hackingbutlegal.com)
When China’s prodigious tech influencer, Naomi Wu, found herself silenced, it wasn’t just the machinery of a surveillance state at play. Instead, it was a confluence of state repression and the sometimes capricious attention of a Western audience that, as she asserts, often views Chinese activists more as ideological tokens...
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 - Ilya Repin (1885) (upload.wikimedia.org)
Aside...
China bad, USA good (i.imgur.com)
How China became the king of new nuclear power, and how the U.S. is trying to stage a comeback (www.cnbc.com)
China has 21 nuclear reactors under construction which will have a capacity for generating more than 21 gigawatts of electricity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That is two and a half times more nuclear reactors under construction than any other country....