If you bought a car in a big Chinese cities, you might complain about having to win in a lottery (Beijing) or pay in an auction (Shanghai) just to have the right to buy one. And even after that, you aren't allowed to drive your car everyday of the week.
Cars in America are still relatively cheap to buy and operate by world standards. They aren't much cheaper in China (and can become very expensive for non-econo luxury models), and you can face a lot of restrictions on when you can use them.
> Many Chinese cities implement driving restrictions based on the last digit of a car's license plate, but EVs are typically exempt from this rule.
I didn't know that, good point! You would already want to get an EV in Beijing since the license lottery has a separate allotment for them, but even then you might not win a license (not sure what the odds are right now, it depends on what they are selling). I assume SH is the same.
