# Chinese EVs in North America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 16, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757 "2026-01-16T20:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/81 "2026-01-25T10:55:36Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I hate the Cybertruck as much as anyone. But are they a failure? I see them all the time around here (San Francisco Bay Area). Yes they are all over here in the SFBA CA, but they’re owned as a status symbol. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/82 "2026-01-25T16:52:18Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > owned as a status symbol. Ha. I get a real good idea of status when I see someone driving one. Probably all different from what the owner intends. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/83 "2026-01-25T18:14:26Z")
The electric semis and freight trucks are built for specific routes or localish deliveries. The range is sufficient for the transport area. The base terminal has charging for overnight/day charging. Long haul is still infrastructure constrained. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/84 "2026-01-25T18:18:32Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Not every truck is fuelling up to drive across the country, but it puts some perspective on the energy needs. Maybe local delivery trucks are viable with overnight charging, but proper freight transportation is a much harder problem. Long haul really ought to be done by trains, which are easier to electrify (though it would take a fair bit of up-front infrastructure investment). It would also require a non-dysfunctional rail industry. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/85 "2026-01-25T20:04:19Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Charging time seems like it could be a big issue with an electric Semi. Owning an electric car can make sense if you do most of your charging overnight at home. The difference between five minutes at the gas station once a week and 45 minutes at the fast charger twice a week would get really annoying if it was more than occasional. Last two cross-country trips it took no more than 20 minutes to charge after about 2hours/200km of driving. Suppposedly Semi superchargers are 2 to 4 time the auto chargers, so less than half an hour. However, in-town local deliveries are ideal- stop and go traffic with regen capturing some of the energy, no pollution or waste idling, return to home base to charge overnight at a lower rate, and in the long run, far less maintenace. Once Elon faded from the election news, I haven’t seen that much hostility toward him here in Canada. He’s still an idiot viewed negatively, but the cars work. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/86 "2026-01-29T23:37:29Z")
From that other country in North America… About 100,000 EVs were sold in Mexico in 2025, and 84% of them were from BYD. > **[BYD claims 70% of EV and PHEV sales in Mexico as Canada opens the floodgates](https://electrek.co/2026/01/29/byd-claims-70-ev-sales-mexico-as-canada-opens-the-door/)** > > BYD already has a strong foothold in Mexico, accounting for around 70% of electric and plug-in hybrid sales. Now, the... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/87 "2026-01-29T23:45:23Z")
That raises the question; what happens if an American buys a Chinese EV in Mexico and tries to bring it to the United States? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/88 "2026-01-29T23:51:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > what happens if an American buys a Chinese EV in Mexico and tries to bring it to the United States? I expect similar rules as discussed upthread about Canada, which can pretty much be summed up as: you can’t import a new(ish) car to the US unless it is essentially the same as a car already sold in the US. You can _drive_ those cars into the US, though. I’ve seen Mexican and Canadian tagged cars in the US. Bellow is an example of one that was never sold on the US. > [@What's the most interesting car you saw today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5899): > > Because I can apparently only post about Volkswagen pickup trucks, here is one I saw today. Looks like it is a [Volkswagen Saveiro](https://www.vw.com.mx/es/autos-suvs/saveiro.html), based on the license plate, has driven up from Chihuahua, Mexico. Stupid chicken tax. [[image] ](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHd53Xzx25f3CVLh620WeL1rFZ8YHKu6IdKgkeLSf70DHuwh0qWJWjmUNZR23MlfPK5_t2l6pDTGskU5ubbBmyXMa1QYvDDEqO5PpGgYza8Jcxl-_VTIDoqTPNDy5wa60EFQa9xQZRa0lFnPi7POKZtrZA=w2714-h2044-s-no) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757/89 "2026-01-30T03:48:44Z")
Meanwhile, in yesterday’s earnings call, Musk said that - Tesla is discontinuing the X and S (low-selling high end vehicles), has no plans for other vehicles because the robotaxi is the end-all and be-all of future transportation, and anyway he’s going to concentrate on AI and Robotics, and twisting arms to get people to _rent_ Full Self Driving for new vehicles going forward. . So for sure, Chinese vehicles will dominate the world in a year or three. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-evs-in-north-america/1026757.md?page=4)