Kandi BEVs

[gcrouse]

They hit the headlines awhile back with their K27 being the lowest priced EV in the US, I'm curious - has anyone actually seen on of these on the road?

I noticed on their website they quietly dropped the non neighborhood electric vehicles from their site, but I haven't heard any news about the company other than them launching another NEV that is a non-street legal pickup truck.

 

[rmay635703]

Never seen one for sale,

The spec leaves much to be desired and then you also have Kandi’s reliability track record to contend with.

 

[gcrouse]

I was curious mostly since I read Hindenburg Research's report on the company. I got my 2016 SL in 2017 so I'm not really due to think about any type of replacement until 2025/26 unless i get a new battery under warranty. (10 bars at 48k miles currently so it seems unlikely). At that point I'd have to look at battery replacement or a new EV and with the IL incentive coming out and potential federal credit upgrade by that point it might not make sense to replace the battery.

With apparently no sales, i think Hindenburg was probably spot on and Kandi will probably be out of the market by 2026.

 

[rmay635703]

Kandis are now for sale but as NEVs with air bags and no tax credit

I was hoping for a $2500 after credit price but no dice

 

[gcrouse]

Kandis are now for sale but as NEVs with air bags and no tax credit

I was hoping for a $2500 after credit price but no dice

Yeah, in their Q3 2021 earnings call they said that no company in China can currently make airbags to US specifications - I'm iffy on if/when they'll be able to deliver.

The only non-journalist experience I've seen mentioned about them was a guy with the NEV on YouTube with a battery that won't charge with their EVSE and complaining that Kandi isn't doing anything about it.

I don't know if they will be able to pull their heads out of their asses before they destroy their ability to sell anything in the US on a larger scale.

 

[rmay635703]

Link?

That’s what I was afraid of, my state has very weak lemon laws so a defective warranty is a deal killer.

If the tax credit was in effect and the $10,000 price listed by the parent was real I could tolerate a disposable car with a 2-3 year life

Neither being truthful is a hard no.

The original COCO was $898 which is about right

Some photos under the hood show components that have a home built vibe with improper reliefs on electrical plugs and likely poor “water resistant” electrical component placement

I have always wanted to see deep dives show kandis sins lurking underneath alongside component brands and models.

Having owned a Miles zx40 for over a decade I know how to make a simple Chinese garbage car work with minimal repair, the Kandi looks like it’s components are too archaeic for OEM but too obscure/ complex to hillbilly repair at home.

If Kandi wanted an angle they would make sure everything on the car is easily sourced and user repaired

Ah well

 

[gcrouse]

Link?

That’s what I was afraid of, my state has very weak lemon laws so a defective warranty is a deal killer.

If the tax credit was in effect and the $10,000 price listed by the parent was real I could tolerate a disposable car with a 2-3 year life

Neither being truthful is a hard no.

The original COCO was $898 which is about right

Some photos under the hood show components that have a home built vibe with improper reliefs on electrical plugs and likely poor “water resistant” electrical component placement

I have always wanted to see deep dives show kandis sins lurking underneath alongside component brands and models.

Having owned a Miles zx40 for over a decade I know how to make a simple Chinese garbage car work with minimal repair, the Kandi looks like it’s components are too archaeic for OEM but too obscure/ complex to hillbilly repair at home.

If Kandi wanted an angle they would make sure everything on the car is easily sourced and user repaired

Ah well

https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2021/11/09/kandi-technologies-kndi-q3-2021-earnings-call-tran/

I can't find the YouTube video anymore but there really wasn't much to see other than a plugged in Kandi K27 and the guy showing something on the center console showing the vehicle battery %

They had my curiosity after reading a short seller report but I'm also coming around to the idea of possibly considering one. Here in IL it would be a $6k car after incentives and for that low of a price i can live with a 5 year life span and range that's just enough to get to the ex's house with kids - as long as I knew that it wasn't a safety death trap.

 

[rmay635703]

I’ve owned a Miles zx40 nev many years, Kandi would definitely be in the running at the $5000 or less area

Sadly the state has no incentives on nevs, It’s very unfortunate that our country couldn’t keep some form of incentive for non-golf/ATVs NEVs that have airbags and are car-like

Ditto medium speed legislation, once Tesla soft launched the NEV market and related improved legislation all died with it.

Sadly despite the
“It’s on google “ comments it’s very difficult to find the Chinese programming tools and software alongside the car repair manual, both in my mind are a requirement to own a cast off like the Kandi.
For example
The Miles zx40 came with a fully programmable battery charger but with no tool to interface and no documentation the feature was useless and you had to toss the charger if you changed battery type or chemistry
Also can’t reset “dumb “ CEL issues or the controller if it gets electrically messed up.

 

[rmay635703]

Gets even better

https://hindenburgresearch.com/kandi/?fbclid=IwAR291Y3iiCBTNolTe_bsR5g9I7pF_wFpWvJ9loNVg3vZ5sVuUuAPn-VK1m4