Americans Can’t Buy Chinese EVs. Waymo Is Importing Thousands

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2026/08/02/americans-cant-buy-chinese-evs-waymo-is-importing-thousands/

338 points · 47 comments · view on lemmy.world

47 Comments

Pxtl@lemmy.ca · 138 pts · 22h

Laws are for poor people.

slaacaa@lemmy.world · 65 pts · 16h

Rules for thee, but not for me

artyom@piefed.social · 47 pts · 19h (12 replies)

Article is paywalled but the reason Google can get away with it is because they're getting them shipped without any connectivity.

blargh513@sh.itjust.works · 28 pts · 12h (2 replies)

Self driving cars

Shipped without connectivity

Weird

Also, can I buy a new car without telemetry? I guess I know the answer to that already.

artyom@piefed.social · 11 pts · 12h

It has connectivity, its just added by Waymo after it arrives on shore.

sunbeam60@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 12h

Obviously Google install their own connectivity.

benny@reddthat.com · 6 pts · 10h (3 replies)

Why don't Chinese manufacturers do the same? Sell cars without connectivity, make updates or whatever available on a website.

jerakor@startrek.website · 13 pts · 6h

It is hardware. The embargo is on the connectivity silicon used in China because it is full of Chinese backdoors. Unlike the chips made elsewhere that have US backdoors

boonhet@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 3h

Why would China want you to have a car that doesn't send data back?

I mean neither would any other manufacturer, but with China you just know the government probably requires all that surveillance tech be added. Like voice control microphones on the OUTSIDE of some new Chinese cars. Why else would you have that?

artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 8h

Great question.

majster@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 13h (4 replies)

So Chinese automakers cannot import because they rather stay out of market than turn off connectivity?

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 9h (1 reply)

That's the bullshit the US government wants you to believe. They need an excuse to force you to keep buying shitty trucks.

artyom@piefed.social · 0 pts · 8h

Yes they wrote it into law to deceive you!

11111one11111@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 13h
[ removed ]
artyom@piefed.social · 0 pts · 13h

Seems that way.

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 32 pts · 11h

So cheap cars are out there and the corporations are grabbing them all up before the citizens. Now that capitalism is in it's last death throes they need to amass even more power and control before it all explodes and comes crashing down.

FunnyUsername@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 5h

Fuck Waymo

MrSulu@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 18h (3 replies)

Can Americans buy 2nd hand Chinese EVs or will these then become recycling nightmares as a giant outfit cuts every possible corner in a very loosly regulated area?

artyom@piefed.social · 2 pts · 13h (2 replies)

You can import them after they're 25 years old but good luck getting parts or repairing them.

ranzispa@mander.xyz · 6 pts · 9h (1 reply)

Good luck finding a 25 years old EV.

artyom@piefed.social · 1 pts · 8h

I mean I don't think 25 year old Chinese EVs exist. This would be a hypothetical future.

eicker@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 4h (1 reply)

Unpopular opinion: Google’s approach actually makes sense here. The value isn’t the rolling metal box, it’s the autonomous driving stack. If Zeekr can build a high quality EV platform more cheaply, why reinvent it? Buy the best chassis, replace the electronics you don’t trust, and focus engineering effort where your competitive advantage actually is.

driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br · 11 pts · 3h

I don't think anyone is thinking Google is in doing the wrong decision. The problem is that Google, and other corporations, work with a set of rules different to normal, not corporate entities, don't. Like they can bought the most competitive cars on the global markets, while regular Americans are stuck to whatever Ford and GM want to sell them.

Maeve@kbin.earth · 3 pts · 22h

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Grumpus_Maximus@thelemmy.club · 1 pts · 22h (8 replies)

Wow. That's pretty messed up.

We should ban Amazon and Walmart reselling Chinese as well as Chinese cars

EvergreenGuru@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 21h (7 replies)

We should work to either innovate or partner with Chinese manufacturers when it comes to EV technology.

Arancello@aussie.zone · 11 pts · 21h (6 replies)

good luck with that in your republican america

entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org · 4 pts · 19h

Step 1: new constitutional convention in order to replace the federal government, which has been in lawmaking deadlock for about 16 years.

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · -3 pts · 12h (4 replies)

Yes but stop believing the Dems are better.

ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip · 4 pts · 7h (3 replies)

They ARE better. They're not good, but they are better than the subterranean bar Republicans set.

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 7h (2 replies)

Does it make you feel better to say that? They're dogshit. They are as guilty of this situation as the R's.

ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip · 0 pts · 4h (1 reply)

Conflating shitty with straight up fascists only serves to help the fascists.

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 4h

The Dems who helped bomb my country of origin as every bit as fascist as the Republicans. Please stop deluding yourself

TIEPilot@lemmy.world · -16 pts · 22h (14 replies)

Rolling spy machines... No worries in 2027 its coming to American cars.

Peffse@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 21h (2 replies)
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 20h

America: it’s cute when we do it

TIEPilot@lemmy.world · -16 pts · 21h

Illustrates exactly what I was talking about.

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 12h (6 replies)

Keep calling Chinese tech that as if

  1. US technology isn't also spying on everyone
  2. All you know of China isnt red scare propaganda you're stupid enough to fall for
  3. It isn't 100x better than all shitty overpriced American tech

Enjoy shilling for your overlords while the rest of the world wins :)

TIEPilot@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 12h (5 replies)

US technology isn't also spying on everyone

Uh thats what I said...

All you know of China is red scare propaganda you're stupid enough to fall for

Nope seen enough videos of people not able to get out of their BYD and burning to death to know I don't want them.

I don't shill for the ccp like you.

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 11h (4 replies)

Allow me to indulge in the humiliation of Americans.

TIEPilot@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 11h (3 replies)

Let me indulge in watching china/ccp fall. Biggest employer is food delivery and they make shit construction. Belt and roads is being rebuffed by anyone that can't be bribed or black mailed into a bad deal. Oh and tell me about that dam that just failed, or is it a couple of them?

How many factories have been torched this week by disgruntled workers? 3 gorges dam is also nearing failure, let me guess only 29 lives will be lost. Those that know 30 deaths kick off the ccp. Mass flooding and you want to try to shit on America, lol.

Also Taiwan #1

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 10h (2 replies)

Just read thru some of your comments and you're a piece of shit American that wouldn't be worth the saliva of my spit. You're the scum of Earth.

TIEPilot@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 10h (1 reply)

lol I nothing you. ccp is shit and you know it. Digging into my posts only tells me how desperate you are to justify your position.

Again Taiwan #1

djsiete@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 9h

Look at the US then look at china. Then back to the US :)

Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 10h (1 reply)

Could you imagine being spied on in your own car?? Good thing my car from 2016 with OnStar totally isn't spying on me!!1!

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 9h

Good thing my neighbors Tesla cameras aren't recording my whole neighborhood 24/7!

TheFogan@programming.dev · 2 pts · 20h

Well yes, but it's America so, why not build the spy machines into something that pays the oil industry more.

blargh513@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 12h

We've had internet connected cars for while now.