Why this Chinese Car Costs $900

Jul 27, 2023

Why this Chinese Car Costs $900

Thanks to The Zebra for sponsoring today’s video. See how much time and money you could save today by comparing car insurance rates with a quick visit to http://thezebra.com/bumper
The Chang Li ZYX is an electric vehicle that you can buy online today that costs less than a pair of Jordan 1 breds . Between engineering, development, manufacturing, shipping and a ton of other factors, how can a company make a profit on a sub $1000 car? Today we are gonna dive into the world of cheap cars, and see where companies cut costs in order to make more franklins.

#donutmedia #cars #cheapcars #bumper2bumper #zyx #evs #electriccars

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Content

1.406 -> (upbeat music)

6.38 -> - Do you love driving, but are so sick to your tummy

8.452 -> because you gotta spend all your greenbacks on a brand new

10.93 -> four wheel go-go machine.

12.707 -> Do you hate going to a dealership just to have

14.75 -> to look a floor salesmen in the eye and say,

16.5 -> I don't have any money.

18 -> I'm wasting your time.

19.2 -> Are you sick and tired of being treated

22.23 -> like an adult baby or a boy or girl.

24.48 -> Do I have a car for you.

26.2 -> Come on down to Jerry's used car auto mat.

28.32 -> Were I'm going to put you in a brand new 2020 Changli ZYX

31.87 -> for $930. Hold on what?

34.452 -> Stop for a second.

36.38 -> Frankie boy, is that the total car price or

38.05 -> the monthly price?

39.47 -> The total price.

40.303 -> (screaming)

41.6 -> - The ZYX is an electric vehicle

43.54 -> that you can buy online today

45.461 -> that costs less than a pair of Jordan One Breds.

48.137 -> A car that can not only haul you and your friends around,

51.06 -> but also has a center driver's seat.

52.88 -> It's basically a McLaren F1.

54.745 -> While it might not look all that great. It's cheap,

57.56 -> it works and it got me thinking,

59.74 -> how can you make a car so inexpensive?

62.66 -> Between the engineering, the development,

64.45 -> the manufacturing, shipping and a ton of other factors.

67.66 -> If the goal is to turn a profit,

69.497 -> how can a company do that on a sub $1,000 car?

73.56 -> So today we're going to dive into the world of cheap cars

76.74 -> and see where companies cut costs in order to make more

80.14 -> Franklins.

80.973 -> I might just buy one of these to give it away on the

83.66 -> doughnut underground. We'll see.

90.024 -> (soft music)

94.069 -> - Thank you to the zebra for sponsoring today's video.

96.29 -> Oh, hey, did you know the Zebra

98.1 -> is the nation's leading car insurance comparison site?

100.88 -> They make it possible to compare quotes from over a hundred

103.45 -> plus insurance companies in under five minutes.

106.22 -> The Zebra is about convenience, expertise, savings

109.05 -> and of course transparency.

111.13 -> Unlike other car insurance company sites,

112.87 -> Zebra doesn't need your phone number and they're not

115.13 -> interested in selling your data.

116.7 -> The zebra just wants to help you save money and find your

119.26 -> perfect policy no matter who you are or what you drive,

122.59 -> it's that simple.

123.423 -> Drivers who use the zebra have saved

125 -> an average of $440 a year on their car insurance.

128.24 -> So head on over to the zebra.com/bumper to compare quotes

131.88 -> for free today, let's get back to the show.

135.07 -> Oh shoot. Think I missed my exit. No problem.

140.49 -> The Chang-Li ZYX is a Chinese made rear wheel drive electric

144.74 -> lukewarm rod of a vehicle that you can buy without ever

147.78 -> leaving your house.

148.82 -> Surf on over to Ali-Baba.com and within a few clicks,

152.44 -> you'll have one of these bad boys delivered

154.23 -> in a box to your driveway.

156.1 -> With three power level options.

158.28 -> The ZYX has a maximum speed around 25 miles per,

162.29 -> with a 40 mile range.

163.73 -> It's got independent suspension and it has the luxury

166.25 -> features like a full-sized spare tire, backup camera and

169.99 -> a digital dashboard.

171.11 -> When I bought my F-150,

172.75 -> the dash alone costs more than this entire car,

175.54 -> but the cost of a car is more than just

178.1 -> a running list of parts.

179.67 -> Manufacturers have to design, research and develop that car

182.78 -> into its shiny new perfection

184.49 -> before it reaches any lot

185.94 -> and that's an expensive endeavor.

188.12 -> When it comes down to it, the research and development,

190.52 -> marketing costs and engineering costs of a new car,

192.91 -> outweigh the cost of parts alone.

195.05 -> But that paradigm is for big name manufacturers,

197.815 -> Changli, they cut costs by focusing on the parts.

202.01 -> And when talking EVs,

203.12 -> most of the costs comes from the batteries.

205.55 -> The four wheel electric environmental protection car,

208.81 -> small electric car, as it's called on Alibaba,

211.598 -> is powered by five 12 volt lead acid batteries

214.7 -> producing 60 volts of juice.

216.84 -> Now 60 volts. Those are rookie numbers.

218.7 -> You've got to pump those suckers up,

220.12 -> especially when you compare it to model three's, 400 volts.

223.88 -> But voltage aside, the real thing to focus on is

226.63 -> the type of battery.

227.758 -> All the major manufacturers in the EV market

230.3 -> use some sort of lithium ion technology.

232.58 -> Whether the chemistry is lithium nickel, cobalt, aluminum,

235.54 -> or if it's lithium nickel, manganese cobalt,

237.94 -> they're using lithium batteries.

239.387 -> And the reason is pretty simple.

241.38 -> They have more capacity, they have a higher energy density,

244.28 -> they're more efficient, they have a longer lifespan and

246.27 -> they have a larger depth of discharge.

247.95 -> While it's normal to use 85% or more of a lithium

250.82 -> ion batteries, total capacity in a single charge.

253.119 -> It's damaging to discharge a lead acid battery past 50%.

257.68 -> After that you start to shorten its lifespan.

260.15 -> But if lithium ion is the answer, what's the catch?

262.927 -> The catch is costs. You got to mine them.

265.78 -> And then you've got a process and convert them into high

267.97 -> purity versions that may quality long lasting batteries.

271.245 -> Lead acid. On the other hand, it's cheap.

273.96 -> Led is cheap. Acid is cheap.

275.81 -> Not only are the actual batteries cheap, so is the housing

279.08 -> you put them in.

280 -> The batteries are covered with a low cost cardboard sheet,

283.57 -> right beneath the driver's seat,

284.96 -> as opposed to nestled into some custom engineered casing

288.14 -> that for example, you see it in a Lucid or Tesla.

290.87 -> I mentioned a second ago, energy density,

293.41 -> and the better that metric is the longer range you have.

296.397 -> The lead acid batteries in the ZYX

298.48 -> gets you an average of 40 miles.

300.335 -> Now the median EPA estimated range for an average EV vehicle

304.17 -> in 2020, was 250 miles and it also

307.02 -> takes about six to eight hours to charge

308.81 -> those lead acid batteries.

309.95 -> Another downside of using them.

311.58 -> And once you spend all that time charging them

313.3 -> we're at full capacity and you stomp on the electricity,

316.84 -> you'll notice a lack of power.

319.07 -> That's because the ZYX has only a single 1200 watt,

322.74 -> 1.6 horsepower DC motor.

325.48 -> The same type of motor in your washing machine.

328.16 -> Yep, it's just a washing machine on wheels.

331.06 -> And not all, but most EVs use motors

333.53 -> that run on alternating current,

335.5 -> but their batteries output direct current.

337.82 -> So how do you go from DC from the battery to turn it into AC

341.14 -> for the motors? Well, AC it's wiggling, DC it's straight.

345.38 -> So in order to get the straight to turn wiggly,

347.39 -> you need some electronics to do that.

349.35 -> Specifically, you need an inverter and

351.25 -> an inverter takes direct current from the battery,

353.27 -> switches it on and off so fast that it turns it into

356 -> alternating current,

357.11 -> the type of current needed by the motors.

359.33 -> Those inverters are extremely sophisticated.

362.25 -> When I met with the CEO of Lucid,

363.868 -> Peter Rawlinson about the lucid air,

366.16 -> we nerded out for 30 minutes, just on inverters.

369.11 -> With that sophisticated piece of equipment, comes cost.

372.053 -> But if you use the same type of current coming off the

374.76 -> batteries to power your motor,

376.44 -> you don't need a fancy inverter, got DC from the batteries,

379.08 -> DC to the motors.

380.34 -> You can get your Samsung washer on wheels and call it a day.

383.465 -> Changli manufacturers did find a way to save

386.52 -> some bucks in the break department,

388.14 -> by well not including them on the front wheels

391.482 -> They cut the cost of break installation in half,

394.36 -> right there. Now most cars rely pretty heavily

396.9 -> on front disc brakes for anywhere from 60 to 90%

399.716 -> of their stopping power,

401.146 -> but big cars are heavy and they need those breaks.

403.82 -> The ZYX weighs in at 323kgs. That's just over 700 pounds,

408.89 -> or... (drum roll)

411.38 -> - I'm not going to say it guys. I've matured.

413.123 -> I'm a better person now. And I just won't do it.

416.07 -> Your mom.

417.26 -> But in the rear you have the cheapest breaks

419.25 -> outside of Flintstone feet.

421.12 -> The mechanical drum brake.

422.775 -> When you press the pedal,

424.18 -> the pedal pivots activating a bell crank style linkage

427.07 -> that engages a series of lever arms, and a splined rod,

430.01 -> which pushes the brake shoes against a rotating cylinder.

433.15 -> The more costly and more common breaking systems are

436.03 -> hydraulic disk brakes.

437.43 -> The benefit of disc brakes over drum brakes is in the heat

440.61 -> dissipation department.

442.11 -> That's what they call me when I'm around the pool

444.37 -> in a Speedo.

446.623 -> (laughing)

447.64 -> - Drum brakes allow heat to build up inside the

450.58 -> drum when braking,.

451.83 -> But with disk brakes, the rotor is free flowing in the wind.

454.8 -> That flow of air around the rotor cools

456.71 -> the entire braking system,

457.85 -> preventing that hydraulic fluid from boiling and

460.14 -> causing brake fade.

461.47 -> The Changli ZYX or as it's also called on

464.34 -> Ali-Baba, elderly leisure commuting to pick up children car,

468.357 -> cut costs, not only in the battery and motor department,

471.8 -> but also in the steering system as well.

473.76 -> It uses a rack and pinion setup that was first seen

476.59 -> in the American automotive manufacturing way back in 1974

480.18 -> in the Mustang Two and Pinto.

481.88 -> The rack and pinion steering is not only a more

484.14 -> straightforward and simplistic design than the

486.42 -> recirculating ball steering system previously used,

488.99 -> it's also more cost-effective to build

491.24 -> due to its simplicity.

492.41 -> It's also cheaper than hydraulic power steering,

494.69 -> electric power hydraulic steering

496.57 -> and fully electric power steering.

498.48 -> Because of the low costs, along with the fact

500.49 -> that it's pretty easy to figure out when

501.99 -> something goes wrong with it,

503.53 -> the Changli kept it simple and used rack and pinion.

506.05 -> When we look in this suspension department,

507.81 -> there's a fun mashup of modern and relatively ancient

511.1 -> history happening near the steering shaft.

513.09 -> The front suspension is made up of a dead axle and kingpins

516.04 -> to let the steering knuckles rotate,

517.733 -> never heard of a kingpin?

519.24 -> Well, maybe that's because they were more commonly

520.94 -> spotted on the Model T.

523.28 -> The axle fits in between two collars on the spindle and

526.19 -> rests on a roller bearing and a king pin slides through the

529.12 -> spindle and the axle where an alignment pin locks

531.5 -> everything in place.

532.75 -> In terms of suspension setup,

534.49 -> this is super simple and super cheap.

537.625 -> And in the rear, surprisingly, you have coral springs.

540.736 -> And those core lowers might not be the cheaper option for

543.69 -> most manufacturers because they would need to buy those

546.21 -> parts from other factories.

547.68 -> But for Changli the parts are made by the same company,

550.74 -> manufacturing the cars themselves.

553.01 -> So that keeps costs lower by consolidating production of

555.68 -> parts and cars, into one single factory.

557.89 -> And they make them in bulk.

559.29 -> And when you buy in bulk, the price drops,

561.029 -> have you ever shopped at Sam's or Costco or Jerry's discount

564.05 -> motorcycle shop?

565.25 -> Because I got a bunch of motorcycles.

566.84 -> I'm selling them for cheap.

568.778 -> I'd never sell my motorcycles ever.

571.34 -> if you buy one of my motorcycles, it's cause I'm dead.

574.44 -> My girlfriends like, "Sell some of your motorcycles",

576.55 -> and I'm like, "never, ever,

579.346 -> and I'm not willing them to you either,

581.88 -> I'm going to will them to a museum and you'll never be able

584.915 -> to touch them".

586.247 -> "You're going to be begging the museum curator like, Hey,

588.52 -> can I scrape some of the seat dander off of it and

592.371 -> smell them? And I'm going to be like, no".

595.09 -> I'll will it to a member of the doughnut underground.

597.29 -> It's actually, if you want to see more motorcycle content,

599.86 -> go on the doughnut underground.

600.92 -> We're going to do a video on my whole motorcycle collection,

603.87 -> check it out.

604.703 -> Also click the like and subscribe button,

606.6 -> because that really helps me out,

607.78 -> lets us know that we're doing a good job.

610.065 -> This same paradigm applies to the frame.

612.95 -> The same frame where you see on the ZYX is stamped out in

616.1 -> mass for all kinds of other low speed delivery vehicles and

619.13 -> tricycles across Asia and Europe.

621.2 -> And it's not just the frame. It's the body, the lights,

623.99 -> the heater, the backup camera,

625.5 -> the windows and the trim and the regulators.

627.68 -> The truth is the Changli functions,

629.36 -> as basic as a car can be.

631.15 -> It does its job of going from A to B,

633.96 -> using old school engineering.

635.83 -> Instead of spending big bucks on development and

637.75 -> specialized parts, Changli uses old tech, low cost parts.

641.574 -> And for the money I would have killed for one of

644.32 -> these when I was 16. Are you kidding me?

646.33 -> If me and my friends had a dozen of these bad boys,

648.75 -> it would have been a blast.

650.15 -> Are they safe? Probably not.

652.075 -> Are they fun? Time will tell.

655.48 -> - Show your support for America's favorite

657.39 -> off-roader and America's favorite off-road team

660.2 -> with the brand new high team t-shirt.

664.14 -> - I think he means the low team t-shirt.

666.992 -> - No I said America's favorite off-roader and

671.1 -> off-road team, high team.

673.12 -> - Yeah low team, that's what...

675.4 -> - High team.

676.233 -> - Low team, Low team.

678.534 -> - No people only like you guys ironically.

681.06 -> - I don't think that's true James.

682.4 -> - Dude this is a classy shirt.

684.69 -> It's black, it's sleek.

686.32 -> We're like the heroes of the mighty ducks, the Hawks.

689.07 -> - If you'd like a little more lighthearted affair,

690.44 -> then the low team t-shirt comes in this

692.09 -> beautiful light blue color,

693.599 -> letting people know that you're a easy going fellow.

696.8 -> Or lady.

697.81 -> - Well, whichever team you want to represent,

700.13 -> whether it's high team or the wrong team,

702.911 -> they're all available at donutmedia.com for $29.98,

707.62 -> which is so much cheaper than-

709.925 -> - So much cheaper, James.

712.27 -> - Thank you guys so much for watching this episode of B2B.

714.93 -> We love you. If you want to see more doughnut stuff,

718.25 -> follow us here on Instagram at donut media,

720.48 -> follow me at Jeremiah Burton.

722.14 -> Follow me on TikTok,

723.16 -> Silence of the Lambda.

724.61 -> I might be shadow banned again.

726 -> I don't know what the hell is happening.

727.8 -> I just want to make TikTok's.

729.213 -> I keep changing my name and TikTok hates it.

732.25 -> So if you got a better username,

734.061 -> put it down in the comments.

735.422 -> The best one, I'll send you a t-shirt, if I use it.

738.78 -> Only if I use it. Okay.

741.37 -> Till next week, bye for now.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0gqZS18nfw