Environmental News

Dallas-Fort Worth is first in the U.S. for debut of Kandi electric car

The Kandi 27 is the smaller of the two.

Photo by Kandi

A new electric car is coming to America, and the first place you'll be able to get it is in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company is Kandi Technologies, a Chinese electric car maker, which will launch its first two models in the U.S. in August.

Both models are compact vehicles, and both are hatchbacks:

The Kandi 27 is a compact model that accommodates up to four passengers. It features a 17.69 kWh Lithium battery and a driving range up to 100 miles. It's $13,000 after federal tax credits ($19,999 without).
The Kandi 23 is a larger vehicle, the size of a small SUV, with more trunk space. It features a 41.4 kWh Ternary Lithium battery and a driving range of more than 180 miles. It's $22,500 after federal tax credits ($30,000 without).

Sales will initially be focused in Dallas, because Kandi America is headquartered in Garland, where they bought a dealership to facilitate the launch.

The launch will take place at a virtual event on August 18. Customers can reserve their K27 or K23 with a fully-refundable $100 deposit. The cars will be available for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Kandi America CEO Johnny Tai says in a statement that Kandi's mission is to make electric cars accessible to all. "With these first two models, we are starting an Auto EVolution that will enable anyone, regardless of their financial status, to afford a reliable, high-tech EV," he says.

And Xiaoming Hu, Chairman of Kandi Technologies, says that other EVs have mainly served the high end of the market. That's definitely true of the Tesla, although the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt aren't all that expensive.

The virtual launch takes place on August 18 at 10 am. The release says that participants will engage in a "meaningful experience" hosted by a "surprise emcee," ooh who could it be, with a live drawing in which the winner gets a K23.

To be eligible for the giveaway, participants must register for the event at www.drivekandi.com before midnight on August 17.

transportation sustainability

Jobs report

Texas ranks among 10 best states to find a job, says new report

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

You have a better chance of landing a job in Texas than in most other states.

If you’re hunting for a job in Texas amid a tough employment market, you stand a better chance of landing it here than you might in other states.

A new ranking by personal finance website WalletHub of the best states for jobs puts Texas at No. 7. The Lone Star State lands at No. 2 in the economic environment category and No. 18 in the job market category.

Massachusetts tops the list, and West Virginia appears at the bottom.

To determine the most attractive states for employment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 34 key indicators of economic health and job market strength. Ranking factors included employment growth, median annual income, and average commute time.

“Living in one of the best states for jobs can provide stable conditions for the long term, helping you ride out the fluctuations that the economy will experience in the future,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo says.

In September, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas led the U.S. in job creation with the addition of 195,600 jobs over the past 12 months.

While Abbott proclaimed Texas is “America’s jobs leader,” the state’s level of job creation has recently slowed. In June, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas noted that the state’s year-to-date job growth rate had dipped to 1.8 percent, and that even slower job growth was expected in the second half of this year.

The August unemployment rate in Texas stood at 4.1 percent, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Throughout 2025, the monthly rate in Texas has been either four percent or 4.1 percent.

By comparison, the U.S. unemployment rate in August was 4.3 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2025, the monthly rate for the U.S. has ranged from 4 percent to 4.3 percent.

Here’s a rundown of the August unemployment rates in Texas’ four biggest metro areas:

Austin — 3.9 percent
Dallas-Fort Worth — 4.4 percent
San Antonio — 4.4 percent
Houston — 5 percent

Unemployment rates have remained steady this year despite layoffs and hiring freezes driven by economic uncertainty. However, the number of U.S. workers who’ve been without a job for at least 27 weeks has risen by 385,000 this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in August. That month, long-term unemployed workers accounted for about one-fourth of all unemployed workers.

An August survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed a record-low 44.9 percent of Americans were confident about finding a job if they lost their current one.

This story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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