Is China the future of automaking? I rented a BYD to find out

On the A2 highway outside of Berlin, I found myself on a deserted stretch of road and slowed my vehicle to a comfortable cruising pace of 100 kilometres an hour. Soon enough, a panel van whipped by me and let out a lengthy honk, despite the open roads. The message seemed clear: Speed up, you're in Germany now. Why had I slowed down? Because I had rented an electric vehicle. While it was my first time driving an EV, I knew that high speeds would drain its battery more quickly, something at odds with Germany's autobahn highway system, most of…