Road Traffic and Electric Cars in China

I previously wrote a few lines about Chinese road traffic last year (Blog link: Road Traffic in China), and now I can probably continue this story every year. However, I'm slowly getting used to the practices that seem curious or chaotic to me as a road user from Germany. Here in China, it's not unusual to see all classes of vehicles, from scooters to cars to trucks, driving without lights in the darkness of night. In dense fog, while lights aren't switched on, many vehicles operate with hazard lights, which makes turning quite exciting. The driving style hardly changes; our small intercity bus initiated an overtaking maneuver in thick fog and suddenly found itself in front of a car. Okay, the second attempt succeeded without oncoming traffic. Horns are used whenever one wants to draw attention to themselves, and usually, it's ignored, as no one really reacts to the honking. However, one must admit about this driving style: No one, really no one gets upset about other road users. You feel your way forward, you brake, you overtake, you let another vehicle pass, and you're simply satisfied if you can continue driving. The zigzagging and haphazard parking are simply accepted, and everyone just tries to find the best gap for themselves on the road. In complete peace, riders check the latest WeChat messages amidst the bustling traffic or make U-turns in the middle of intersections. I observed an old man who slowly crossed a six-lane road diagonally with his three-wheeled cargo bike. The first three lanes with the traffic direction easily maneuvered around him. But once he reached the middle of the street, he entered the oncoming traffic, and I broke out in a cold sweat watching him creep along while all vehicles had to swerve and brake. Here, that's no problem - everyone, really everyone, is quite relaxed, except for me watching! :-)
I am comfortably following all this from the backseat of an electric car, as the new developments in China can also be observed in my wife's family. One sister previously drove a Volkswagen, as many Chinese do. Now she has bought a Li car, a fascinating electric vehicle with incredible space for sitting and a panoramic glass roof, equipped with a system that detects other vehicles and people in the surroundings via camera and radar and shows them on the navigation system, even showing a red brake light when the vehicle in front brakes. To park, you simply drive near the parking space, get out, and the car autonomously moves back and forth into the parking spot, which you can watch via this link: Parking the Li Car. There are charging stations everywhere, and they are always well utilized. The electricity is paid for just like the parking fee via QR code using the smartphone. All functions in the car, like heating, seat climate control, music, and roof opening, are controlled by voice commands, with a small AI smiley appearing on the display that interacts with you while looking in the direction of the person speaking in the car. There is also no car key, as locking and unlocking the car is done through the smartphone, of course including the trunk. Prices for electric cars are lower than in Germany. A suitable vehicle for me could be purchased as a new car for under 10,000 euros, which is currently sold for 33,000 euros in Germany. With these low prices, one can even afford an additional design element. Some people attach figures to the roof or the trunk lid of the car. Mhmm, okay, but there's no arguing about another design element: a flower basket on the city bus creates a pleasant atmosphere.
So, unfortunately, the vacation is already over again. Eventful weeks are behind me, and the internal processing along with photo and video editing will likely take a while longer. I still owe blog posts about the Liangzhu culture in Hangzhou, which I will write later from Germany.