See China’s Abandoned EV Graveyard: Thousands Of Cars Rot In Huge Fields

A YouTuber alleges that some Chinese carmakers are using deceptive tactics to balloon their sales numbers

China abandoned ev graveyard

Suvrat Kothari

By: Suvrat Kothari

Jun 20, 2023 at 12:37pm ET

Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google

Comment

China has emerged as the global powerhouse in electric vehicle manufacturing and sales. But there might be a dark side to its rise. A recent video showcases enormous fields filled with thousands of abandoned Chinese electric cars.

Some of these EVs appear to be the Geely Kandi K10 EV, Neta V and BYD e3 models. These cars are seen parked in one of the districts of Hangzhou, the capital of the Zhejiang Province in eastern China.

The scene appears eerie as the white paint is tainted by layers of dust and tires partly covered by encroaching grass. Inside, they appear spanking new, as the plastic seat wraps are untouched and the screens still shining.

They all have registration plates. YouTuber Winston Sterzel, who reshared the drone footage, alleges that Chinese EV makers register the cars and claim to have sold them to show numbers and obtain subsidies from the government.

One caption, translated to English, reads “BYD inventory flooded, 600 cars waiting to be processed.” In a related video, a registration form reveals the size of the plot where the surplus inventory is left to rust in Hangzhou. The field is over 15,000 square meters in size, and the nature of the property is “commercial business.”