https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5589471-us-lags-china-evs/
By 2015, China had already surpassed the United States in domestic battery electric vehicle sales. Although many of these were Teslas, China’s early adoption signaled where the industry was heading.
That same year, Beijing launched “Made in China 2025,” an industrial policy to accelerate advanced manufacturing capabilities and reduce foreign dependence. But China’s leaders had identified “new energy vehicles” as a strategic sector long before that — as early as 2006 — and followed up with a National Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Development Plan in 2012. When “Made in China 2025” elevated electric vehicles as a national priority, the industry exploded.
Meanwhile, the U.S. took a wrong turn. Instead of focusing on the electric vehicle as a breakthrough technology, Washington framed it as an environmental issue — one that remains politically divisive.
American policy solutions suffered as a result
incentives aimed to change consumer behavior, not to strengthen American manufacturing. That narrow framing had global consequences. While we debated environmental incentives, China was building the foundations of a new industrial order. Today, the world’s leading electric vehicle producers are increasingly Chinese.
Losing the electric vehicle race means losing leverage over critical technology standards, supply chains and industrial jobs. This isn’t just about automakers; it’s about national power and the future of our tech ecosystem.
In China, electric vehicles are now at the center of innovation. Companies are integrating augmented reality entertainment systems, artificial intelligence-assisted driving, and even rooftop drone installations, alongside advances in fast charging and battery design. Beijing is now rolling out its intelligent connected vehicle strategy that integrates vehicles with roads and cloud systems through AI-driven networks. If China exports this ecosystem globally, non-connected U.S. and allied vehicles risk being locked out of future markets.
China thought long term while the USA fiddled around Scr*wing the Pooch.
China has just announced its latest 5-year plan, and according to Reuters,* it makes no mention of new energy vehicles, which everyone assumes means direct financial support for zero-emissions vehicles will be coming to an end shortly. It does not mean, however, that China will stop supporting higher education or protecting its supply chain dominance.*
Electrive says the omission of NEVs marks a shift towards market-driven growth, according to industry analysts. NEVs were listed as strategic industries in the last three 5-year plans, which unlocked billions in subsidies that supported both automakers and consumers and bolstered the fortunes of BYD and CATL. Now China apparently has decided its car industry can stand on its own two feet.
China:“We own the EV market space. We don’t need no stinking subsidies!”
Dec 30, 2025:
https://insideevs.com/news/783051/chinese-ev-export-numbers-2025/
- China’s EV exports grew by 87% in November.
- Almost 1 million Chinese EVs were exported across Asia, and over 600,000 ended up in Europe so far in 2025.
- Mexico saw exponential year-over-year growth after BYD launched a series of affordable models in the country.
China’s domestic electric vehicle market is starting to show signs of slowing, and the country’s biggest automakers are looking to continue their growth by increasing their focus on exports. It certainly seems to be working, according to November’s data shared by the Chinese government and reported on by Bloomberg .
Chinese EV manufacturers have launched a slew of new models.
The EU has launched a plan to combat the invasion:
https://insideevs.com/news/781631/european-union-e-car-plan/
EU Planning New Affordable EV Class to Counter China
This new class of vehicle, called “E car,” will have lower technical requirements to reduce costs.
- The European Union wants to define a new class of more affordable urban vehicles.
- The new “E car” category sounds similar to Japan’s kei cars, and it should be defined in the next couple of years.
- The EU’s goal is to bring down the cost of city cars to help local manufacturers stave off the advance of Chinese carmakers on the continent.
New cars, even small ones, have become very expensive, and one reason for that is the mandatory safety equipment that has to be legally sold in the European Union. But the EU wants to change that for city cars, creating a new class of vehicles that will have less safety gear on them, specifically to bring down their acquisition price.
These new E cars will be crash tested and offer similar structural rigidity to larger vehicles, but they will have fewer active safety aids. The goal is to make small city cars 10-20% cheaper than they are today, and this will be achieved by removing systems such as autonomous emergency braking, drowsiness and driver attention detection systems or the lane keeping assist functionality.