The U.S. blinked, and China built an electric vehicle empire.
“They’re taking over the world, except North America,” said Lei Xing, a Chinese auto industry expert. “The U.S. will be the last frontier.”
In the last 15 years, China has rolled out a public charging network over 10 million strong, convinced billions of drivers to go electric by dangling subsidies and other incentives, and introduced over 100 EV brands with a bevy of pricing options. The push exemplifies “China Speed,” a term Xing used to describe the country’s hypersonic development.
The speed and scale of the shift has slingshotted China past the U.S. and every other nation in the transition to electric vehicles, while also positioning Chinese automakers near the front of the pack to dominate the market for years to come. In both July and August of 2024, for example, industry data shows that over half of total automotive sales in China were electric or hybrid.
The U.S., quite simply, is playing catch-up. The Biden administration has made the transition to EVs a key priority, saying that by 2030 it wants half of all vehicles sold to be electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell EVs. The White House has also sought to throw sand in China’s gears by imposing stiff tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, a measure aimed at protecting U.S. automakers.
But with limited supply-chain access, lagging EV infrastructure development and a culture in which American motorists remain partial to…
