China, Europe Drive Shift To Electric Cars as US Lags (reuters.com)

Electric cars will pick up critical momentum in 2017, many in the auto industry believe - just not in North America. Tighter emissions rules in China and Europe leave global carmakers and some consumers with little choice but to embrace plug-in vehicles, fuelling an investment surge, said industry executives gathered in Detroit this past week for the city's annual auto show. From a report: "Car electrification is an irreversible trend," said Jacques Aschenbroich, chief executive of auto supplier Valeo, which has expanded sales by 50 percent in five years with a focus on electric, hybrid, connected and self-driving cars. In Europe, green cars benefit increasingly from subsidies, tax breaks and other perks, while combustion engines face mounting penalties including driving and parking restrictions. China, struggling with catastrophic pollution levels in major cities, is aggressively pushing plug-in vehicles. Its carrot-and-stick approach combines tens of billions in investment and research funding with subsidies, and regulations designed to discourage driving fossil-fueled cars in big cities. The road ahead for electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States, however, could have more hairpin curves.

Comments

Back to the future

[spiritplumber]

Don't worry, Trump will introduce tax rebates for muscle cars in order to secure a market.

Re:It's about landmass

[chispito]

but with ICE you pollute 24/7 .

You need to get out of your car more.

Re:It's about landmass

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking of the distance between, say, Montréal and Québec city, or Montréal and Ottawa, etc.

Will Quebecois electricity even work with electric cars from other provinces?