Brazil saw EV sales increase by more than 500% from 2022 to 2024, Thailand’s EV sales jumped 279% over the same period and Mexico saw similarly rapid growth. In Australia EV sales are up 145% in the last two years. The growth in EV sales in the UK has been more modest, but it is further along on the adoption curve and has the highest rate of EV penetration of all major car markets in Europe. The common thread between all these markets is their relative openness to Chinese automakers, Bloomberg says.
Australia cut EV import tariffs to zero in 2022.
The UK, like Norway, has decided not to impose special tariffs on Chinese EVs, which are now a significant reason why EVs are now near 100% of all new cars sold in Norway.*
By contrast, EV sales fell 35% from 2022 to 2024 in Germany and increased only marginally in the US last year. Germany and other EU members have tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese EVs with rates varying by manufacturer. Even in markets where Chinese automakers make up a relatively small share of total EV sales, their presence forces competition and pushes incumbent automakers to put effort into bringing EVs to market. “Companies typically don’t self-disrupt a profitable market. A challenger often is needed to force the issue. Tesla played that role for many years, but the Chinese are now coming on fast,” McKerracher wrote.
After the winter problems with battery EVs many consumers lost interest in EVs. They prefer hybrids. Better range. Better low temp performance. No dependence on charging which may or may not be functional, available, slow where you need one.
Consumers now prefer hybrids. BYD makes them: Tesla doesn’t.
Oh, it’s going to slow a lot more if Congress gets its way. The proposal is to tax EV’s at $250 a h year “to make up” for the gas tax which EV’s don’t pay.
Fair enough, except that any fair calculation of what a gas car pays in the highways tax is $75 to $100 per year, not $250. And, I note, hybrids get twice the mileage of pure ICE cars, but use the same highways and cause the same wear and tear.
Meanwhile China powers ahead with over 100 EV manufacturers, hundreds of models, and new technologies, and we’re trying to bring back factory jobs where people “turn little screws.”
Well, we are, uh, screwed.
Republicans say EVs don’t pay their fair share. Here’s the math.
House Republicans want to impose an annual $250 fee on electric vehicle drivers, who don’t pay the gas tax. Critics say the fee is too high.
LOL. There was a “problem” with 5 or 6 EVs in a very cold place, and it turns out that they were UberLyft cars that drove around all day and depleted their batteries because they didn’t want to miss rides and then couldn’t find a charger in time.
My point is that the concern is not based in the facts of reality. There have been a couple instances like the Chicago one noted above, but I am sure one could come up with a ton of ICE examples. EVs are wildly popular in Norway.
Oslo, the largest city, gets about as cold as New York City. In Bergen and along the Atlantic coast, because the ocean tempers things, it gets about as cold as the Carolinas.
I don’t know if EVERYONE agrees. I certainly do. But the amount that many anti-EVers want is ridiculous. The EPA publishes MPGe numbers. If we went by those numbers EVs would probably pay about $50 /yr which would be too low. But a true transparent and honest accounting needs to be done.
But much more important is that an honest amount would be too little to really maintain the roads. So ICE cars need to up their contribution as well. But no politician is going to touch that.
Here in WA State, we’re paying $225/year extra to register an EV, but I did get a $16,000 exemption from sales tax on the purchase of an EV, which saved me $1,300.