While electric vehicles may be the way of the future, the steep entry price point into emission-free motoring puts the majority of would-be EV drivers off the prospect, settling traditionally-powered vehicles.
Thanks to companies such a Tesla, who have done wonders in normalising electric motoring, more manufacturers are adopting EVs into line-ups, meaning that prices are slowly coming down, but still aren't considered 'cheap'.
Over in America, a Chinese company is out to break this steep entry point with a small battery-powered city car that should spark interest in a new market of would-be EV buyers.
Kandi has just pulled the covers off the new K23 and K27 EVs, which aren't much bigger than your average shopping trolley, but are set to bring "sleek and advanced EVs to everyone, regardless of their financial status."
Looking like a boxy Fiat 500, the K27 comes in at the bottom of the Kandi line-up and makes use of a 17.7kWh battery. This is enough to get a range of 160km, and a top speed of 100km/h. Kandi mentioned that seven hours on a 240-volt feed is enough to fully charge the battery.
This is the one that Kandi wants to tap the cheaper market with, as the K27 starts from just US$12,999 ($19,500) which makes it significantly cheaper than the rest of America's battery-powered market.
At the other end of the spectrum is the range-topping K23, which is slightly bigger, and benefits from a much bigger battery. The 41kWh unit allows the hatch to hit 112km/h, and travel 302km on a single charge.
Unsurprisingly, barely any bells and whistles are included in either of these bargain bin EVs. Anti-lock brakes, bluetooth audio, dual front airbags and a reversing camera is literally all that is included.
An eight-year/100,000km battery warranty is included with the impressively low purchase price, which is promising for a car coming in at this price level.
Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring the Kandi EVs down to the New Zealand or Australian markets, but we're hoping that this new entry-level EV inspires other manufacturers to do the same.