Comparing U.S. and Chinese Electric Vehicle Policies

The document analyzes the different approaches the U.S. and China take to overcome barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption, such as high upfront costs and limited charging infrastructure. While the U.S. relies on a mix of federal tax credits and varied state-level incentives, China has implemented more aggressive central government subsidies, a 'dual-credit policy' for manufacturers, and significant government fleet mandates. China's approach has led to faster growth in EV registrations and a larger network of charging outlets compared to the U.S.

• In 2016, China's EV market significantly outpaced the U.S., with 336,000 new registrations compared to 160,000 in the United States.
• The U.S. federal government provides a tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles ranging from $2,500 to $7,500, which begins to phase out after a manufacturer sells 200,000 vehicles.
• China has employed aggressive financial incentives, including purchase tax exemptions renewed through 2020 and a central government subsidy program that covered 40 to 60 percent of EV costs in 2010.
• China's 'dual-credit policy,' starting in 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 a substantially larger charging infrastructure, with 213,903 charging outlets as of 2017, compared to 47,130 in the United States.
• China utilizes government procurement as a primary driver, requiring the central government and certain public organizations to have at least 50 percent of their vehicle fleet consist of EVs by 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} }