I Went To China Twice To Drive EVs. Here’s What Blew Me Away Most

Perhaps it’s a tired trope to say so much of East Asia is in the future. But it really does feel like China is living in a tech-utopian world only fantasized about in novels and movies. 

I’ve been to China twice now, and each visit has never felt like I had enough time. Electric cars on every corner, superfast charging infrastructure, battery swapping, and dozens (if not hundreds) of reasonably priced EVs.

It’s sensory overload, to be honest. 

Last year, I went to the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, only the second after the country reopened following strict COVID-19 lockdowns. I wanted to see just how advanced its auto industry really is. I went back a few months later to see and do even more.

Photo by: InsideEVs

Across those two visits, I drove more than a dozen cars from seven different brands. I got some seat time on China’s actual roads, got some experience with battery swapping, and EVs of every price range. So are China’s EVs the real deal?

Yeah, they are, and we’ve got video proof of it. And I expect we’ll see China up its game even more when we return next week for the Shanghai Auto Show. China has made incredible strides, particularly within the past five years, as its EV and tech companies have moved in lockstep to become the darling of consumers in and out of China—to the chagrin of American and European tech and car companies, of course.

Lei Jun Beijing Auto Show

It’s not exactly clear how the rest of the world can push back, yet, especially here in America. The conditions of subsidies and policies to create China’s EV boom are damn near non-replicable under systems of government that aren’t so unilateral. 

However, it’s important to understand just exactly what’s going on on the other side of the world. Whether or not you agree with China, its brands, or how consumers globally are reacting to them, it’ll be clear from this video that these things are real. 

Now, we at InsideEVs get to see how things have advanced in a year. As the rest of the world gets mired in politics and gets nervous about an all-electric future, we’ll head to Shanghai to report on what’s in store for 2025 and beyond.

What happens from there is up to the rest of the world.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com