As you might have guessed, both machines include their fair share of compromises to hit their price points beyond their diminutive sizes. The K23’s 17.7kWh battery gives it an estimated range of just 100 miles, and the 63MPH top speed makes it a less-than-ideal choice for highway driving. The K23 has a much better 188-mile range, but its 70MPH top speed isn’t a significant improvement. You do get creature comforts like a touchscreen interface, Bluetooth and a backup camera, at least.
This still helps Kandi fare well against many EVs. The “off menu” Tesla Model 3 starts at $35,000 before incentives, for instance, while even a used Fiat 500e might cost more.
The main challenge (apart from buying a car from a brand with little US clout) may be finding one. Kandi will initially sell the K27 and K23 only in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You’ll be out of luck if you want to buy one in EV havens like the San Francisco Bay Area, at least for a while. Still, this is good news even if you have no intention of taking the keys to a Kandi in the near future. Vehicles like these could pressure other brands to lower the price of entry for EVs and usher them into the mainstream.
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