The sub-$30,000 electric car has been the dream of Western auto manufacturers for years. On unveiling the Model 3, Tesla promised that this best-selling EV would be available for under that figure, and yet, aside from some rare extreme discounts, that hasn’t been so. In the meantime, American electric car startups have started with $75,000+ premium cars — notably, Rivian and Lucid — and the Big Three are proud of themselves for making EV trucks and SUVs around the $50,000 mark, even though customers aren’t buying them.

The backdrop for this is that the budget EV is only difficult in the West and — powered by a large industry, colossal state subsidies, and few labor laws — Communist China is producing a flood of excellent EVs, all at budget prices. Despite US tariffs, meaning these cars are not available for American customers, Communist Chinese brands now own a 76% share of the global electric car market. If Americans could buy them, companies like Tesla would be doomed.