Chinese electric cars: reliable and safe
I have heard a lot of negative comments regarding their reliability and safety, but I can only assume that the great majority of these commentators have had no dealings with Chinese electric cars.
I have heard that the Chinese only make poor-quality products but people don’t seem to realise that most of the products they buy which are mass produced are made in China. The Apple iPhone for example is assembled in the USA from parts made in China. Most TVs and hi-fi are of Chinese origin. So far as cars are concerned, Volvo, Mini, BMW, Jaguar and many others are made in China, not their original country of origin.
A Long manufacturing history
The Chinese have been manufacturing reliable and safe electric cars for some time now and have probably more experience in the field than any other country.
I have found No problems with my Chinese electric car which is reliable and safe
Having owned these vehicles for a few years now, I can state that I have had neither concern. Let’s take a look at a typical affordable Chinese electric car to see what the limitations are in the safety department and reliability issues.
Build quality for a low price
My own present car is built with a steel monocoque body. It’s not an intercity car. It was designed for a purpose. That purpose is commuting within the town or city and doing the weekly or daily shopping. This it does admirably, but what are the issues as to whether they are reliable and safe? Unlike some of the offerings in the affordable market, my car looks like a normal small SUV. Safety glass is fitted all around. The front of the car is designed to be “crushable” The steering wheel and column are in separate parts so that in the event of a disastrous front collision, the steering column will not become a spear launched at the driver.
Braking system
The braking system is similar to all small cars of today, having a vacuum servo running albeit from an electric vacuum pump instead of an internal combustion engine. The system feeds into a dual-circuit braking system with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The central handbrake works directly on the rear wheels by cables as is normal with modern cars.
Seat belts
Normal recoil seat belts are fitted for the use of the front seats although there are no airbags. I don’t particularly see the lack of airbags as a problem as the vehicle’s speed is designed for city and town driving, not for intercity or driving above town speed limits.
So far as the question, are the cars reliable, I have not had any concerns about reliability in four years. The only problems I have had were not related to reliability. I broke an internal door handle on one occasion and on another, a broken windshield but they can’t be put down to reliability.
