The New York Times: China Hastens the World Toward an Electric-Car Future

The world’s most populous nation is the largest maker and buyer of electric cars. China applies specific rules to guide markets – for example, more than half of cars sold by automakers must rely on alternative energies. Manufacturers around the globe are forced to adjust and add electric models to their product lines. “Propelled by vast amounts of government money and visions of dominating next-generation technologies, China has become the world’s biggest supporter of electric cars,” writes Keith Bradsher for the New York Times. “That is forcing automakers from Detroit to Yokohama and Seoul to Stuttgart to pick up the pace of transformation or risk being left behind in the world’s largest car market.” The policies aim to increase innovation in all areas of the industry while reducing pollution and reliance on foreign oil. One challenge: Coal provides about 75 percent of China’s power. Chinese will buy three times the number of electric cars expected to be sold in the United States. Manufacturers like Tesla consider building factories in China. Bradsher notes that buyers in China prefer cars made by joint ventures with foreign firms. China has yet to export vehicles solely designed and made in China. – YaleGlobal