So Far So Good
Complaints about new energy vehicles (NEVs) skyrocketed in China around the Spring Festival holiday in February, when new energy vehicle drivers tried long-distance travel in freezing weather. There were drivers caught in lengthy traffic jams on highways struggling to strike a balance between keeping warm with air conditioning and saving enough electricity to get to the next charging station. Others had to wait for hours at charging stations for their turn to re-charge their batteries.
Although NEV sales have boomed in China, it has been a bumpy ride so far, with the main concern on battery performance. To me, owner of a Tesla, driving an NEV in a big city like Shenzhen for commuting purposes is not a bad option. I use my car for commuting between office and home, which requires charging half a month, so I am not anxious about mileage. Besides, the city is well equipped with charging facilities. You can easily find charging stations at most malls, office buildings and resident compounds.
The NEV is my first and only car, so I can’t tell the difference in driving experience compared with a gasoline vehicle. However, I do enjoy smaller bills for charging as my colleagues driving gasoline cars complain about spending on fuel and rising price of oil.
I have to admit that I didn’t purchase an NEV for protecting the environment, but as a result of preferential policies for
NEVs - in Shenzhen, you need to spend quite some money to get a license for gasoline cars from auctions, or be really lucky to win it from the lucky draw. After driving an NEV for a few years, I find it a viable option for commuting in big cities while addressing air pollution.
I do have concerns about problems like disposal of batteries when they retire and more traffic jams as the number of NEVs quickly grow, but I believe problems will be solved over time. Over the past few years, we have witnessed fast development of the young industry with enhanced battery life, more charging stations, more versatile functions, etc. With intensive technological progress taking place in the industry, I am confident in the future of NEVs.