China: The Fusion Of Serenity And Innovation

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As I mentioned earlier, Majella and I traveled to China to witness what a 53% market share of new vehicle sales looks like. We were quite impressed, to put it mildly. You can read about it here. Oh, and we fulfilled our dream of cruising up the Yangtze River from the Three Gorges Dam.

A segment of our trip included a visit to the massive Buddha on Emeishan Mountain. During a stop at a service station along the route from Chengdu to the mountain to view the giant Buddha, we were able to observe a NIO battery swapping station in action. Regrettably, we were too slow to capture a video — it happened that rapidly! However, it did provide us with the opportunity to inform our fellow travelers about what was happening. The biggest misconception was that the battery would be discarded. I had to clarify several times that the batteries are recharged and placed into the next arriving NIO. Next to the NIO battery swap station was a large row of fast chargers, most of which were filling up EVs along with their patiently waiting drivers.

Missed the photo opportunity — the NIO has swapped and left. Image courtesy of Majella Waterworth.

China — land of buddha electric vehicles - China: The Fusion of Serenity and Innovation — Battery charging options. Image courtesy of Majella Waterworth.

After covering over 12,000 steps at the Giant Panda Research Center the previous day, we opted not to ascend the supposed 1,000 steps to the top of the 71-meter-tall Leshan Giant Buddha. Many of our fellow explorers made the same decision. We engaged in multiple discussions about battery recycling and the influx of Chinese vehicles into Australia. There was a significant amount of interest and a readiness to accept answers. We no longer have to deal with those who seek a confrontation, wish to scoff, or constantly shift the ground. A green Xiaomi driving past made the point well.

I thought there must be a term for this argumentative tactic and discovered something new: “In philosophy and rhetoric, eristic (from Eris, the ancient Greek goddess of chaos, strife, and discord) refers to an argument that aims to successfully dispute another’s argument, rather than seeking truth […] arguing for the sake of conflict, as opposed to resolving conflict.” Thanks, Wikipedia.

The gardens and plaza at the base of the Buddha were expansive and serene. As we wandered, we discovered a massive bank of operational high-speed chargers, with another bank of 28 being installed. The Buddha would be pleased.

“We must live as the Buddha taught us, in peace and harmony with nature, but this must start with ourselves. If we are to save this planet, we need to seek a new ecological order, to examine the lives we lead, and then work together for the benefit of all; unless we collaborate, no solution can be discovered.”

For those who would dispute China’s commitment to renewable energy, I suggest you read Michael Barnard’s recent excellent article here.

The next day, we were off on the high-speed train to the Three Gorges. The ridges were lined with wind turbines. We were all so exhausted from the early morning start that some of us dozed off, but not everyone. A group of Chinese girls wearing red leather decided to join some of the more fun-loving members of our group and serenaded our carriage. Were they red girls? Perhaps they were Tesla enthusiasts. I woke up when one of them landed in my lap. Laughter, laughter!

To add to the humor, we demonstrated to our fellow travelers how we could control our Tesla via the phone app. Our daughter had the car while we were away and was confused when the horn began beeping in the garage in Australia, several thousand miles away. Tess was being well taken care of, the tire pressures were right, and she had a good amount of charge.

Then, it was another long bus ride from the train station to the dam. The tour guide offered commentary and noted that the power from the dam is fed into the grid that powers China’s electric vehicles. We saw numerous shiploads of new vehicles being transported up the Yangtze. Most likely, they were electric.

I made a point of wearing my BYD hat everywhere we went in China, hoping it would spark conversations with curious locals. Strangely, it didn’t. It appeared to me that BYD was simply too well-known to generate interest. On shore, departing from the boat in Fengdu, we were swarmed by school children participating in a festival. To my dismay, they were more interested in Majella than in me. See if you can find her in this photo! Majella is 5′ 9″ and towers over most Chinese. Hint: she is sitting down!

I found myself at the back of the group with a cluster of 10-year-old boys — we were doing the linguistic dance trying to communicate: “How old are you? What is your name? Where are you from?” they asked — probably not comprehending my responses. To keep the conversation flowing, I pointed to my BYD hat. No reaction. So, I thought, let’s try a different tactic. I opened the Tesla app and showed them our car, Tess. They became very excited — “Tesla, cool!” they exclaimed over and over.

Perhaps the most touching encounters we had that day were with some older Chinese individuals, bent and weathered. They were the same age as us. We could only communicate through touch, patting, smiling, and shaking hands. What tremendous changes they have witnessed. We didn’t see many older Chinese during our journey.