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China’s latest EV push: zero down payment sales

By | November 8, 2012, 3:00 AM PST

Much like the U.S., the Chinese public has been slow to adopt electric vehicles - either for personal use or for use in fleets like buses and taxi cabs. One Chinese automaker is trying a new approach to get people driving EVs.

According to the China Daily newspaper, BYD is offering zero down payments, as well as other incentives, to boost its EV sales. Specifically, the move is geared towards sales of BYD’s e6 taxi cabs and K9 electric bus fleets. China has around 500,000 buses and 1.2 million cabs, which together account for 1.7 percent of the country’s motor fuel consumption and produce 27 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions.

BYD’s EV strategy has already seen some success in China, despite its new sales push. The company has a taxi fleet of 300 electric cars, as well as a fleet of electric buses, in the city of Shenzen.

In order to get its zero down payment financing plan off the ground, BYD partnered with the China Development Bank and the China Everbright Bank.

If the initiative proves to be a successful sales strategy to encourage EV adoption, might we see similar schemes popping up in other countries as well?

Photo: BYD

via [Earth Techling]

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Channtal Fleischfresser

About Channtal Fleischfresser

Channtal Fleischfresser is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Channtal Fleischfresser

Channtal Fleischfresser

Contributing Editor

Channtal Fleischfresser has worked for The Economist, WNET/Channel 13, Al Jazeera English, Wall Street Journal and Associated Press. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is based in New York.

Follow her on Twitter.

Channtal Fleischfresser

Channtal Fleischfresser

Channtal does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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Zero down? Now, where have I heard that one before?
Oh, yes. We had that over here with zero down homes, and look where the housing market is now?

Bad idea. Unless, it's for the rich, who to begin with, don't need zero down.

The infrastructure for EVs should include recharge stations everywhere, and no more than a mile separation between the last and the next. Plus, for longer trips, free road service, with a guarantee of no more than an hour response time.

The biggest thing for any sales:: make them affordable, because, the down payment is no guarantee that people will continue paying for a high price item.
Posted by adornoe
8th Nov
0 Votes
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Zero down wasn't the housing market issue
The issue was giving loans to people who couldn't afford them, and things like balloon payments.
Now wit this, they are talking about buses and taxis. Also it's selling to people who are already in business making money transporting people, but maybe they don't have the cash on hand to change to a fleet of new vehicles. They aren't saying they are giving away no down-payment loans to anyone who walks in.

Whats the deal demanding recharge stations every mile? and free road service? there's nothing like that for gasoline vehicles. It's completely unnecessary for electric. You recharge your vehicle while you are sleeping, or maybe also at work if you have a long commute(or to save money) and they are less likely to break down, less moving parts, and less complicated than a gas vehicle. The vehicle is going to clearly tell you how many miles you have left, if the charge runs out a few miles after you pass a charging station it's your fault, more so than on a gas vehicle with a funky analog gauge that doesn't relate to reality very well.
Posted by kevinrs1
9th Nov
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