Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies

This research paper compares the electric vehicle (EV) policies of the United States and China, focusing on financial incentives, charging infrastructure, research and development, and fleet procurement. It highlights China's more aggressive approach to subsidies and mandates compared to the U.S. system of tax credits and state-level incentives.

• In 2016, China's EV market was significantly larger than that of the United States, with 336,000 new registrations compared to 160,000 in the U.S.
• The U.S. federal government provides a tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) ranging from $2,500 to $7,500, which begins to phase out after a manufacturer sells 200,000 EVs.
• China has employed aggressive financial incentives, including purchase tax exemptions from 2014 through 2020 and a central government subsidy program that covered 40 to 60 percent of EV costs in 2010.
• China's 'dual-credit policy,' effective April 2018, mandates that vehicle manufacturers meet specific new energy credit targets, requiring 10 percent of total credits to be new energy credits in 2019 and 12 percent in 2020.
• China has deployed significantly more charging infrastructure than the U.S., with 213,903 charging outlets compared to 47,130 in the U.S. as of 2017.
• China's government procurement mandates were more stringent than those in the U.S., requiring the central government and certain public organizations to have at least 30 percent EVs by 2016, a goal increased to 50 percent in 2016.

APA

Lu, J. (2018). Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comparing-u.s.-and-chinese-electric-vehicle-policies

Chicago

Lu, Jieyi. Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2018. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comparing-u.s.-and-chinese-electric-vehicle-policies.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lu |first1=Jieyi |title=Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=28 February 2018 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comparing-u.s.-and-chinese-electric-vehicle-policies |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lu2018comparing, author = {Lu, Jieyi}, title = {{Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/comparing-u.s.-and-chinese-electric-vehicle-policies}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }