Do electric cars have the range to go the distance in China’s rural towns and villages as they battle for buyers’ hearts and wallets?
- The average budget among car buyers in rural China mostly clustered around 50,000 yuan, according to a May survey by China EV 100
- With that budget, they require a driving range of between 100 kilometres and up to 300 kilometres
This is the first of a three-part series on the push for electrification in the world’s largest vehicle market, looking at the challenges of selling so-called new energy vehicles in rural China where manufacturers must balance between performance and price in a market of limited charging infrastructure.
An assembler of cheap compact cars and minivans running on internal combustion engines has emerged as the unlikely victor – at least for the time being – in the vicious battlefield of the world’s largest market for electric vehicles.
“It is advisable for carmakers to work closely with local governments to facilitate [support services such as] number plates, access to parking and charging, and offer customers preferential electricity tariffs,” to support the growth of new-energy vehicles (NEVs), said SAIC-GM-Wuling’s marketing director Zhou Xing, adding that the robust sales data underscores the importance of working with local authorities. “A sound ecosystem is important in third- and fourth-tier cities as well as rural areas.”
