The Chinese company BYD, which makes electric cars, is doing very well. It is now making more cars each quarter than Tesla, and is second only to Tesla in how many cars it sells worldwide. BYD used to make batteries, which are one of the most costly parts of an electric car. Because BYD makes its own batteries, it can save a lot of money. This is different from Tesla, which buys batteries from other companies.

China is a big player in the electric car market. The Chinese government wants to use more clean energy and has given money to people who buy electric cars. Last year, the government gave $72.3 billion in tax breaks to people who bought electric cars. This is the biggest amount of money given out at a time when electric car sales were slowing down. BYD’s cheapest car, the Seagull, costs $11,000, while the cheapest Tesla car in China costs almost $36,000. BYD is also doing well in other areas, as it sold more cars than Volkswagen in China earlier this year.

Tesla helped make electric cars popular in China, but it is now selling fewer cars there. In September, Tesla sold 74,073 cars made in China, which is almost 11% less than the year before. In the same month, BYD sold 286,903 cars, which is almost 43% more than the year before. However, Tesla is still popular with young people in China. As the relationship between the US and China gets worse, Tesla is looking at India as another place to sell its cars. Experts think the electric car market will change a lot in the future, with more rules to help fight climate change by 2030.

Original news source: BYD: The top electric car maker that is not Tesla (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article together and then summarize the main points in their own words. After a few minutes, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Word Association
Instructions: Write the words “electric cars” on the board. Ask the students to brainstorm as many words or phrases related to electric cars as they can in one minute. Encourage them to think of both positive and negative associations. After one minute, go around the class and have each student share one word or phrase they came up with.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Instruct one student in each pair to choose a section of the article and sketch a visual representation of it. The other student must guess which part of the article is being represented. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles and repeat the activity.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a selection of vocabulary words from the article on small slips of paper and put them in a bag or container. Divide the class into teams. One student from each team comes up to the front of the class and picks a slip of paper from the container. They must then draw a picture to represent the word on the slip of paper, while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to list the pros of electric cars based on the article, and assign the other group to list the cons. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm and write down their points. Then, have each group share their lists with the class. Encourage discussion and debate among the students.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What company is currently making more cars each quarter than Tesla?
2. Why can BYD save a lot of money on electric cars?
3. Why did the Chinese government give money to people who bought electric cars?
4. How much money did the Chinese government give in tax breaks last year?
5. How much does BYD’s cheapest car cost in China?
6. Who sold more cars in China earlier this year: BYD or Volkswagen?
7. Is Tesla selling more or fewer cars in China compared to last year?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The Chinese (1)______ BYD, which makes electric cars, is doing very well. It is now (2)______ more cars each quarter than Tesla, and is second only to Tesla in how many cars it sells worldwide. BYD used to make batteries, which are one of the most costly parts of an electric car. Because BYD makes its own batteries, it can save a lot of (3)______. This is different from Tesla, which buys batteries from other companies.

China is a big (4)______ in the electric car market. The Chinese government wants to use more clean energy and has given money to (5)______ who buy electric cars. Last year, the government gave $72.3 billion in tax (6)______ to people who bought electric cars. This is the biggest amount of money given out at a time when electric car sales were slowing down. BYD’s cheapest car, the Seagull, costs $11,000, while the cheapest Tesla car in China costs almost $36,000. BYD is also doing well in (7)______ areas, as it sold more cars than Volkswagen in China earlier this year.

Tesla helped make (8)______ cars (9)______ in China, but it is now selling fewer cars there. In September, Tesla sold 74,073 cars made in China, which is almost 11% less than the year before. In the same (10)______, BYD sold 286,903 cars, which is almost 43% more than the year before. However, Tesla is still popular with young people in China. As the relationship between the US and China gets worse, Tesla is looking at India as another place to sell its cars. (11)______ think the electric car market will change a lot in the future, with more rules to help fight (12)______ change by 2030.
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Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is an electric car?
2. How would you feel if you could save a lot of money by making your own batteries?
3. Do you like electric cars? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the Chinese government giving money to people who buy electric cars?
5. Why do you think BYD is doing well in the electric car market?
6. Do you think it’s important for countries to use more clean energy? Why or why not?
7. How would you feel if the government gave you a tax break for buying an electric car?
8. What do you think about Tesla selling fewer cars in China?
9. Why do you think BYD is selling more cars than Volkswagen in China?
10. Do you think Tesla will be successful in India? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the electric car market will change in the future?
12. Do you think it’s important to have rules to fight climate change? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. electric cars
2. batteries
3. clean energy
4. government
5. tax breaks
6. Seagull
7. Volkswagen
8. climate change

Meanings:
(a) A popular car company from Germany
(b) Devices that store energy and power electric cars
(c) Energy that doesn’t harm the environment
(d) The name of a car made by BYD
(e) Cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline
(f) Money that the government doesn’t make people pay in taxes
(g) The group of people who make decisions for a country
(h) The long-term change in weather patterns on Earth
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Which company is currently making more cars each quarter than Tesla?
(a) Volkswagen
(b) Tesla
(c) BMW
(d) BYD

2. What is one advantage of BYD making its own batteries?
(a) It makes the cars go faster
(b) It makes the cars look nicer
(c) It makes the cars safer
(d) It saves a lot of money

3. Why did the Chinese government give tax breaks to people who bought electric cars?
(a) To encourage the use of clean energy
(b) To support Tesla
(c) To make more money
(d) To help other car companies

4. How much did the Chinese government give in tax breaks for electric cars last year?
(a) $10,000
(b) $72.3 billion
(c) $1 million
(d) $100

5. Which is the cheapest car made by BYD?
(a) Tesla
(b) Volkswagen
(c) Seagull
(d) BMW

6. How many cars did Tesla sell in China in September?
(a) 286,903
(b) 74,073
(c) 11%
(d) 43%

7. What is one reason Tesla is looking at India as another place to sell its cars?
(a) India has a lot of electric cars already
(b) Tesla wants to make more money
(c) The relationship between the US and China is getting worse
(d) India has better roads than China

8. What do experts think will happen to the electric car market by 2030?
(a) There will be more rules to fight climate change
(b) Electric cars will become cheaper than regular cars
(c) Tesla will become the biggest company in the world
(d) People will stop buying electric cars

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. BYD’s most expensive car, the Seagull, costs $11,000, while the most expensive Tesla car in China costs almost $36,000.
2. BYD used to make batteries, which are inexpensive, but now relies on purchasing batteries and spends more money.
3. BYD, a Chinese company, makes electric cars and is currently selling more cars each quarter than Tesla.
4. In September, Tesla sold 74,073 cars made in China, which is almost 11% less than the previous year.
5. Tesla used to sell very few cars in China, but now sells more cars there.
6. Tesla is no longer popular with young people in China and has no plans to sell cars in India.
7. China is a big player in the electric car market and the government supports clean energy by giving tax breaks to people who buy electric cars.
8. BYD sold more cars than Volkswagen in China earlier this year.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What company is currently making more electric cars than Tesla?
2. Why is BYD able to save money on making electric cars?
3. Why is the Chinese government giving money to people who buy electric cars?
4. How much money did the Chinese government give in tax breaks to people who bought electric cars?
5. Which car is cheaper in China: the Seagull or the cheapest Tesla car?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. BYD is currently making more cars each quarter than Tesla.
2. BYD can save a lot of money on electric cars because it makes its own batteries.
3. The Chinese government gave money to people who bought electric cars to encourage the use of clean energy.
4. The Chinese government gave $72.3 billion in tax breaks last year.
5. BYD’s cheapest car in China costs $11,000.
6. BYD sold more cars in China earlier this year than Volkswagen.
7. Tesla is selling fewer cars in China compared to last year.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) company
(2) making
(3) money
(4) player
(5) people
(6) breaks
(7) other
(8) electric
(9) popular
(10) month
(11) Experts
(12) climate
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. electric cars
Answer: (e) Cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline

2. batteries
Answer: (b) Devices that store energy and power electric cars

3. clean energy
Answer: (c) Energy that doesn’t harm the environment

4. government
Answer: (g) The group of people who make decisions for a country

5. tax breaks
Answer: (f) Money that the government doesn’t make people pay in taxes

6. Seagull
Answer: (d) The name of a car made by BYD

7. Volkswagen
Answer: (a) A popular car company from Germany

8. climate change
Answer: (h) The long-term change in weather patterns on Earth
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Which company is currently making more cars each quarter than Tesla?
Answer: (d) BYD

2. What is one advantage of BYD making its own batteries?
Answer: (d) It saves a lot of money

3. Why did the Chinese government give tax breaks to people who bought electric cars?
Answer: (a) To encourage the use of clean energy

4. How much did the Chinese government give in tax breaks for electric cars last year?
Answer: (b) $72.3 billion

5. Which is the cheapest car made by BYD?
Answer: (c) Seagull

6. How many cars did Tesla sell in China in September?
Answer: (b) 74,073

7. What is one reason Tesla is looking at India as another place to sell its cars?
Answer: (c) The relationship between the US and China is getting worse

8. What do experts think will happen to the electric car market by 2030?
Answer: (a) There will be more rules to fight climate change
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. BYD’s most expensive car, the Seagull, costs $11,000, while the most expensive Tesla car in China costs almost $36,000. (Answer: False)
2. BYD used to make batteries, which are inexpensive, but now relies on purchasing batteries and spends more money. (Answer: False)
3. BYD, a Chinese company, makes electric cars and is currently selling more cars each quarter than Tesla. (Answer: True)
4. In September, Tesla sold 74,073 cars made in China, which is almost 11% less than the previous year. (Answer: True)
5. Tesla used to sell very few cars in China, but now sells more cars there. (Answer: False)
6. Tesla is no longer popular with young people in China and has no plans to sell cars in India. (Answer: False)
7. China is a big player in the electric car market and the government supports clean energy by giving tax breaks to people who buy electric cars. (Answer: True)
8. BYD sold more cars than Volkswagen in China earlier this year. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧