Editorial | US should give China EV firms a clear road
- If America really is not afraid of free and fair competition, it must rise to the challenge presented by Chinese electric vehicles and not apply its ‘national security’ brake
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has declared that Washington only wants a “constructive and fair” economic relationship with China and does not aim to stifle its rise.
How the US responds to China’s world-beating electric vehicle (EV) industry will be a litmus test of her sincerity.
China is likely to overtake Japan as the world’s No 1 vehicle exporter; its share of the world market in EVs is rapidly expanding. Chinese EVs are no longer the cheap copycats of yesteryear.
The electrification of the world’s largest car market is proceeding apace. At last month’s Shanghai Auto Show, 70 out of 100 new models unveiled were electric.
BYD beat Tesla in EV sales last year, making it the world’s top electric car seller. Nio has launched a mass production electric car with the world’s farthest driving range, on a single charge.
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South Korea fines Tesla US$2.2 million for false advertising on the driving range of its EVs
Xpeng Motors has come up with the world’s first lidar-guided smart vehicle, currently the most advanced technology for self-driving or autonomous vehicles. Two of the world’s top three suppliers of EV batteries are Chinese: CATL and BYD.