I Drove China's Advanced EVs. Now My Brain Is Broken

There's kind of a running joke at the InsideEVs office about Staff Writer Kevin Williams: he's been to China so many times, and driven so many of China's hyper-advanced electric vehicles, that he doesn't like anything we get offered stateside anymore.

Don't get me wrong; Kevin is as fair, thorough and thoughtful as any journalist in this business, if not more so. But once you've driven a bunch of battery-swapping Nios and high-performance Zeekrs, well, your garden-variety Chevrolet Equinox EV elicits more of a "bless your heart" reaction than perhaps it once did.

Well, I've been to China now too. I joined Kevin in seeing and driving a bunch of those cars. And I came back to the U.S. with the adamant belief that this country—its auto industry, its policymakers and even its consumers—need to have a long, hard discussion about the technological leadership we have ceded to that country.

 

That's the big story on today's episode of the Plugged-In Podcast. My co-host Tim Levin (whom I have already drafted for the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, because he needs to see this stuff too) and I recap some of the most impressive things we covered at the Shanghai Auto Show this week and last. And I am hoping at least some of our coverage, which will continue on the site and our YouTube channel soon as well, will serve as some kind of wake-up call.

I joined the Geely Group, the parent company of Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk & Co and others, for the show. Besides walking seven miles each day at the Shanghai Auto Show itself, I drove cars from those last two brands in Hangzhou; experienced battery-swapping Nios in Shanghai; and some of BYD's most cutting-edge new models in Beijing. 

On today's episode, you can hear my takes on all of them. But believe me when I say that Western automakers need to be treating this as a five-alarm fire, and tariffs will not save them from what's coming.

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Additionally, Tim and I discuss a bombshell Wall Street Journal report that indicates Tesla's board may have opened a search to replace Elon Musk as CEO (although the automaker vehemently denied this.) Is it time to seriously begin thinking about what a post-Musk Tesla may look like? 

Check out the show wherever you get your podcasts: We're on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more. If you haven't yet, please subscribe to the show and leave us a review. 

And we're looking to answer more listener questions on the show! Drop your burning questions about EVs, EV buying and the future of transportation below, or email us at podcast@insideevs.com. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com

Catch up on the podcast

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Subaru Finally Gets Serious About EVs

What If China's BYD Is The Real Winner In The Tariff Wars?

What Tariffs Mean For America's EV Race

We're Answering Your EV Questions On Our Podcast

How Mercedes Wants To Make EV Fast Charging Work Like It Should

 

 

 

 

 

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