The Electric: A U.S. Official Plots a $16,000 U.S.-Made Electric Vehicle

For a year, one electric vehicle has stood out as an emblem of China’s yawning lead in EVs and batteries—the Byd Seagull hatchback, which at $9,650 in China has made some U.S. industry watchers worry whether the West can ever catch up. Now, a program manager for the Department of Energy’s technology incubator says U.S. entrepreneurs should stop fretting and start inventing an EV that approaches the Seagull’s price.