Photo: EV Look
If you get the feeling that everyone is building electric cars these days, it's because they are. What seemed almost impossible six or seven years ago appears to be happening, and more and more people are opening up to the idea of owning a car that you charge, instead of filling up.
This change of the status quo is happening all around the world, not just in the U.S. or Northern Europe. In fact, China is one of the countries that's pushing electric cars harder than any other, and it has its reasons to do so. A trip to Beijing or the rest of China's big cities will immediately tell you why: the pollution levels there are so high, you and I might find the air unbreathable. Plus, we might not see each other if we stood more than fifty feet away.
But there's another reason China is so eager to adopt the EV wave, and that's the fact it gives the country the opportunity to start level with the rest of the world. China's traditional car industry isn't great, so to speak, and even though the Chinese are good at playing catch-up, it would take them a while to rise to the same level as the European, U.S. or Japanese brands. Plus, they'd need a market for those vehicles, and the wealthy locals prefer imports while the westerners don't really associate "made in China" with high standards of quality.
Low volume EVs, on the other hand, might be met more favorably. We've recently shown you something similar coming from Croatia, a country with zero tradition in carmaking. As long as the specs sound good and the design looks nice, there will always be those interested in owning a car that's a bit more special than the Tesla Model S, even though not necessarily better.
Qiantu is a virtually unknown name for most of us - it has shown an earlier version of the K50 at last year's Geneva Motor Show - but the company is going to begin production of a few dozen K50s this month - for testing purposes - before unleashing the full potential of its production facilities. Eventually, it plans to build several thousand electric roadsters as it prepares to break into the US market.
There's no word on the pricing of the Qiantu K50, but an interview with the company's chairman, Lu Qun, in the South China Morning Post revealed the fact that it's definitely going to be a "premium brand." Considering it uses a carbon fiber monocoque, it couldn't really have been otherwise.
As for the technical specs, the K50 has two electric motors for a combined power of 400 hp and 650 Nm (480 lb-ft) of maximum torque giving it a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 4.6 seconds. Details on the battery pack are missing, but the company promises a maximum range of 300 km or 186 miles.
It's pretty difficult to predict Qiantu K50's fortunes on the US market, but the company clearly has a lot of confidence given its plans. It intends to release five new models over the next six years, with more affordable ones among the mix. Tesla's name has also been mentioned in the context of its main competitors, so the Chinese are clearly aiming high.
But there's another reason China is so eager to adopt the EV wave, and that's the fact it gives the country the opportunity to start level with the rest of the world. China's traditional car industry isn't great, so to speak, and even though the Chinese are good at playing catch-up, it would take them a while to rise to the same level as the European, U.S. or Japanese brands. Plus, they'd need a market for those vehicles, and the wealthy locals prefer imports while the westerners don't really associate "made in China" with high standards of quality.
Low volume EVs, on the other hand, might be met more favorably. We've recently shown you something similar coming from Croatia, a country with zero tradition in carmaking. As long as the specs sound good and the design looks nice, there will always be those interested in owning a car that's a bit more special than the Tesla Model S, even though not necessarily better.
Qiantu is a virtually unknown name for most of us - it has shown an earlier version of the K50 at last year's Geneva Motor Show - but the company is going to begin production of a few dozen K50s this month - for testing purposes - before unleashing the full potential of its production facilities. Eventually, it plans to build several thousand electric roadsters as it prepares to break into the US market.
There's no word on the pricing of the Qiantu K50, but an interview with the company's chairman, Lu Qun, in the South China Morning Post revealed the fact that it's definitely going to be a "premium brand." Considering it uses a carbon fiber monocoque, it couldn't really have been otherwise.
As for the technical specs, the K50 has two electric motors for a combined power of 400 hp and 650 Nm (480 lb-ft) of maximum torque giving it a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 4.6 seconds. Details on the battery pack are missing, but the company promises a maximum range of 300 km or 186 miles.
It's pretty difficult to predict Qiantu K50's fortunes on the US market, but the company clearly has a lot of confidence given its plans. It intends to release five new models over the next six years, with more affordable ones among the mix. Tesla's name has also been mentioned in the context of its main competitors, so the Chinese are clearly aiming high.
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