>Road transport is responsible for [around three-quarters](https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport) of global carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Switching from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles is an important solution to decarbonize our economies.
>This chart shows the change in share of *new* cars that were electric in China, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US) between 2020 and 2023. This includes fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though [most are fully electric](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/bev-share-new-ev?country=CHN~OWID_EU27~USA).
>In 2020, electric cars were rare everywhere. But by 2023, over one-third of new vehicles in China were electric, compared to less than a quarter in the EU and under a tenth in the US.
You can’t trust numbers coming out of China they lie about everything. You can also find massive graveyards of their electric vehicles. Because the government paid them to make them to support the industry, but the quality is so poor no one would feel safe driving them.
We have the swasticar! How can China possibly be beating us here in the USSA!
Now add Norway (not in the EU) to that graph.
And solar panel production installation, and battery tech and production.
People who have visited China recently have reported that the air quality in major Chinese cities is surprisingly better now since the adoption of EVs… and the roads are apparently much quieter. However it’s probably due a variety of factors including better environment regulations now versus 10 years ago.
Hey, we’re bringing back the Edsel. This time it will be coal fired! MAGA!
Let’s not forget that car ownership is also comparably new to the masses in China.
*’China’s vehicle ownership (referred to as in-use vehicle stocks) has been growing quickly since 2000, but its per capita stocks are still much lower than that in developed economies. This raises the question of whether and when China’s vehicle stocks will reach a peak level close to that in the developed countries. By analyzing vehicle stocks in 283 Chinese cities during 2001–2018, we have the following findings: (1) vehicle stocks are predominantly distributed in northern and eastern coastal cities and provincial capital cities; (2) inequality in vehicle ownership rates between cities shows a declining trend at both national and region scales; (3) the growth of vehicle ownership rates follows an S-shape curve and most cities are still at the early stage of motorization;’* [*source*](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03173-4)
Look at reviews for ev vans in China. Two Nvidia chips and it’ll navigate a parking deck without a driver. Absolutely insane.
I’d rather live in China than the USA.
I’m not sure why this is necessarily a good thing. I’d rather have a traditional gas (or European style diesel) car.
Like other industries there, this is probably being pushed government subsidies as part of China’s broader strategy to try to dominate various industries.
I went to several large cities in China this year. There is a policy where the license plate of electric cars is green, making them super easy to identify on the road. I would say about 40% of the cars in these cities were electric, from about 10 major brands. Way more than the big cities in the USA.
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Quoting the text written by my colleague Simon:
>Road transport is responsible for [around three-quarters](https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport) of global carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Switching from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles is an important solution to decarbonize our economies.
>This chart shows the change in share of *new* cars that were electric in China, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US) between 2020 and 2023. This includes fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though [most are fully electric](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/bev-share-new-ev?country=CHN~OWID_EU27~USA).
>In 2020, electric cars were rare everywhere. But by 2023, over one-third of new vehicles in China were electric, compared to less than a quarter in the EU and under a tenth in the US.
>While we only have annual data up to 2023, [preliminary figures](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/09/more-than-half-of-new-cars-sold-in-china-are-now-electric-or-hybrid.html) suggest that in 2024, electric cars outsold conventional ones for the first time in China.
>[Explore data on electric car sales for more countries](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/electric-car-sales-share) →
You can’t trust numbers coming out of China they lie about everything. You can also find massive graveyards of their electric vehicles. Because the government paid them to make them to support the industry, but the quality is so poor no one would feel safe driving them.
We have the swasticar! How can China possibly be beating us here in the USSA!
Now add Norway (not in the EU) to that graph.
And solar panel production installation, and battery tech and production.
People who have visited China recently have reported that the air quality in major Chinese cities is surprisingly better now since the adoption of EVs… and the roads are apparently much quieter. However it’s probably due a variety of factors including better environment regulations now versus 10 years ago.
Hey, we’re bringing back the Edsel. This time it will be coal fired! MAGA!
Let’s not forget that car ownership is also comparably new to the masses in China.
*’China’s vehicle ownership (referred to as in-use vehicle stocks) has been growing quickly since 2000, but its per capita stocks are still much lower than that in developed economies. This raises the question of whether and when China’s vehicle stocks will reach a peak level close to that in the developed countries. By analyzing vehicle stocks in 283 Chinese cities during 2001–2018, we have the following findings: (1) vehicle stocks are predominantly distributed in northern and eastern coastal cities and provincial capital cities; (2) inequality in vehicle ownership rates between cities shows a declining trend at both national and region scales; (3) the growth of vehicle ownership rates follows an S-shape curve and most cities are still at the early stage of motorization;’* [*source*](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03173-4)
Market saturation plays a big role in speed
China was at 47% new energy vehicles in March. https://www.electrive.com/2025/05/12/china-approaches-50-per-cent-nev-share/
Look at reviews for ev vans in China. Two Nvidia chips and it’ll navigate a parking deck without a driver. Absolutely insane.
I’d rather live in China than the USA.
I’m not sure why this is necessarily a good thing. I’d rather have a traditional gas (or European style diesel) car.
Like other industries there, this is probably being pushed government subsidies as part of China’s broader strategy to try to dominate various industries.
I went to several large cities in China this year. There is a policy where the license plate of electric cars is green, making them super easy to identify on the road. I would say about 40% of the cars in these cities were electric, from about 10 major brands. Way more than the big cities in the USA.
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