I was in Vietnam the last few days and saw a brand so far unknown to me. It did not look terrible, but boy, the reviews …
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-vinfast-vf8-electric-suv-first-drive-review/
I know. Stellantis is one of the most obscure names even 3 years after the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA (Peugeot Citroën).
Now it makes more sense, probably the design of the Fiat 500 was copied in China. But, if they want to sell it here, they have to reach an agreement with Fiat (Stellantis).
1 Like
I know someone who drives to southern Italy in a C1 a few times a year - in one go.
Those small cars are perfectly capable of doing it.
Ah, didn’t realise that. Thanks!
Vinfast is trying to do a ZOE reloaded by renting out the batteries - on top of everything else.
The cars are apparently “OK-ish”, but nothing you couldn’t get at MB et.al. for the same price (and own the battery).
There is a lot of publicity about Bidens proposed 100% tariff in imported Chinese EVs but likely no real effect as only around 2% of EVs sold in the US come from China
Did you read the review I posted? Maybe birth pains, but I wouldn’t touch this thing for years.
No, didn’t read it.
Similar issues seem to exist for the latest Xiaomai car…
That applies to all EVs. Interesting, but within 5 or 10 years. Not today.
Just a tip for any EV owners, I’ve found that the best charging network in this region is Germany’s EnBW. For €5.99 a month on the Ladetarif M you can charge at any of their fast charging stations in Germany for €0.49 KW and at most of their partner chargers (inc. 000s in Switzerland and abroad) for €0.57 KW. There is also a free Ladetarif S for the most occasional of uses where you pay an extra €0.12 per KW.
I obviously prefer to use Tesla SC but not if I have to drive out of my way to get to one, so EnBW is great for filling in those gaps. I usually also check the Swisscharge app for prices and EnBW is consistently the cheapest.
You can sign up directly on the App for instant use of the network, or request a free RFID card which they will send to a Swiss address.
1 Like
Put the champagne on ice, time to celebrate!
EV adoption is such a success that road tax revenue is falling. A replacement tax for EVs is on the pipeline. But TIS!, something may happen by 2028, and maybe a few years more before actual implementation.
The pressure is growing to tax electric cars
Because the share of gasoline engines is dwindling, federal revenues are declining. An e-taxation is now being considered. This is what it could look like.
The operation, maintenance and expansion of the national road network consume a lot of money: last year alone, the federal government invested 2.8 billion francs. The money comes from the national highway and urban transport fund (NAF). This is supported by the mineral oil tax surcharge, the motorway vignette, the automobile tax and generally 10 percent of the mineral oil tax. Because the share of gasoline engines is dwindling, the inflows into the NAF are also decreasing.
A look at the statistics shows how much the amounts for the NAF are falling: For example, revenue from the mineral oil tax on fuels has fallen continuously in recent years - from around three billion in 2011 to 2.7 billion in 2021.
Last year alone, almost one in five new cars sold was a fully electric car . As a result, there is an increasing lack of revenue from the mineral oil tax that is levied on gasoline and diesel.
“Anyone who fills a tank also makes a contribution to the national roads,” says Thomas Rohrbach, spokesman for the Federal Roads Office (Astra), in a nutshell. E-vehicles, which drive on the road in exactly the same way as other vehicles, do not pay any corresponding taxes - except for the purchase of the motorway vignette: “If more and more e-vehicles are on the road in the future, the income will no longer be enough to cover the financial requirements, and it This creates unequal treatment of drive types,” says Rohrbach. This declining income is to be compensated for by a so-called replacement tax on electric cars.
According to Astra, the introduction of a replacement tax is expected to come to the ballot in 2028. There are two possible ways in which this e-tax can be collected: Firstly, an amount could be charged per kilometer driven and vehicle category. Rohrbach says: “Here, among other things, we are also looking for solutions to be able to record the mileage or distance traveled without localization, i.e. without having to use GPS data.” Alternatively, a levy could be levied on the electricity purchased – the equivalent of the levy on a tank of fuel, so to speak. It has not yet been decided which method should be used. The Astra also does not want to comment on the possible amount of the tax.
Many European countries and indeed the US offer incentives for EV ownership. In the US for example I would have gotten a $7500 cash rebate for my Model Y, so given that we get no such incentive here that should be factored into the discussion lest people think EV owners are freeloaders.
Plus there is the 8.1% tax for every KW I consume at Swiss chargers (I don’t have home charging).
1 Like
Road pricing is on the horizon.
With modern image recognition technology, it’s no problem to autocharge people literally for every single meter they’ve driven.
And when it comes, likely cities will charge extra.
1 Like
Big brother, let’s hope privacy advocates can make a strong enough case against this descent into a surveillance state.
That’s how a motorway very close to Ticino border works. Unfortunate EFers have found about it when the fine arrives by post because not paying the toll in the autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda.
Also, some toll roads work like this in Portugal. Pass the card at the border, enter car plates, cameras along the road recognize the plates and charge accordingly.
Around Switzerland, there’s a bunch of cameras explicitly use for surveillance in motorways. It would be good if they are put to good use like congestion pricing. Say hello next time:
In future I will stick with unmade roads.
1 Like
Oh Switzerland, a single car makes headlines. What a Chinese market battery electric vehicle is doing around here? It’s a VW ID.6
I’m just curious how the owner got the type approval to register it in Switzerland. I am waiting for these news.
Yeah, that would be interesting.
I saw that the adapters GB/T → Type 2 aren’t expensive and while the GB/T → CCS2 Adapters aren’t exactly cheap, it might actually make sense, financially.
Especially if some enterprising soul would import a whole ship of ID.3s or so as to bring down those costs.
The bigger problem is that VW refuses to service these and you will have to rely on 3rd-party garages to import parts from China.
Chinese ID.3s start at 17k. New.
It annoys me that in times of high inflation and pressured consumers, that when there are cheap cars available, consumers get screwed over by the manufacturers and governments.
I hope Switzerland allows Chinese EVs to come here freely and put some pressure on other manufacturers.