The Electric Car You Can Charge Next to Your Phone - Bloomberg
A life-size plaster and wood prototype on display in Chehejia’s research center shows Li’s progress. He’s already a latecomer in a market increasingly crowded with startups seeking to tap new technologies to build electric, auto-driven and digitally connected vehicles. Li wants Chehejia to differentiate itself with two models that rely less on public charging facilities and promise to meet 90 percent of the needs of commuters struggling with traffic snarls and a scarcity of parking space. No ‘Baggage’ “Traffic jams will only worsen in the major cities, and we need an updated means of transportation that can handle commutes for one or two people,” Li said Tuesday in an interview from his research lab, which occupies two floors next... Li, who has six vehicles, was among the first in China to own Tesla’s Model S, a full-sized, five-door, luxury liftback. Selling for less than 50,000 yuan, it will be powered by two 10-kilogram batteries that can be transported for charging via household electricity sockets using a handcart. Extended-Range SUV A five-seat sports utility vehicle, featuring an extended travel range to 600 kilometers (373 miles), will enter the market by the end of 2018 and sell for less than 300,000 yuan, Li said. Source: www.bloomberg.com
