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When EV startups shut down, will their cars still work?
As Chinese EV makers close, drivers of “smartphones on wheels” say software updates and maintenance are in jeopardy.
He tried to drive his compact EX5 SUV as he normally would, but discovered that he could no longer log into WM Motor’s smartphone app, which remotely controlled the car lock and air conditioner. Between EV companies that have filed for bankruptcy and those that have halted operations, an estimated 160,000 Chinese car owners are left in the lurch, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association. Wang, a driver who bought a HiPhi X because the design stood out from the “seriously homogenous” EVs on Chinese roads, told Rest of World he is prepared to scour for spare parts from used markets in the future if his 570,000-yuan ($97,174) car needs repairs and the company is no longer around to provide digital or mechanical services.
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