“You can\u2019t buy the Seagull in the US. But I bet you wish you could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small hatchback around the size of a Mini Cooper, the Seagull<\/a> is a fast-charging electric car and claims a range of up to 250 miles (at least according to its home country\u2019s generous tests); BYD, its Chinese manufacturer, claims it can go from 30 percent to 80 percent charged in a half-hour using a DC plug. It\u2019s hardly a luxury car but it\u2019s well-equipped, with a power driver\u2019s seat and cruise control. \u201cIf I were looking for an inexpensive commuter car \u2026 this would be perfect,\u201d veteran car journalist John McElroy said<\/a> after taking a drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best part? Its base model costs about $10,700<\/a> in China<\/a>. That\u2019s about a third of the cost of the cheapest EV<\/a> you can<\/em> buy in the US. In South America<\/a>, it\u2019s a little pricier, but still fairly affordable, at under $24,000 for a top-trim version. Even in Europe, you can get an entry-level BYD for under \u20ac30,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are absolutely screaming deals \u2014 exactly the kind of products that could turbocharge our transition away from gas and toward electric vehicles<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it\u2019s just one of many BYD electric cars on offer, from the compact e2<\/a>\/e3<\/a> hatchback and sedan (think a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla) to the full-size, luxe Han EV<\/a>, a more expensive option nonetheless selling for under $33,000<\/a> in China (it costs more than double that<\/a> in Europe). Many of the options have an aquatic themed name: the Seal<\/a>, the Dolphin<\/a>, the Sea Lion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem for Americans? The Biden administration<\/a> is hell-bent on preventing you from buying BYD\u2019s product, and if Donald Trump<\/a> returns to office, he is likely to fight it as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s because the BYD cars are made in China, and both Biden and Trump are committed to an ultranationalist trade policy meant to keep BYD\u2019s products out. They\u2019ve seen what\u2019s happened in other global markets that Chinese EV companies have entered. Shipments to Europe have increased astronomically<\/a>; Chinese companies sold 0.5 percent of EVs in Europe in 2019 but they\u2019re already over 9 percent<\/a> as of last year. Companies like BYD make cheap, reasonably good-quality cars people are eager to buy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n