US Lawmakers Are Scared Of Chinese EVs Flooding The Market

The lawmakers who wrote this letter have valid concerns. Not only could a shortage of competitively priced, locally made cars give Chinese vehicles a way in, but as the letter notes, “many of the EVs exported from the PRC are made by Western brands, such as Tesla, that have significant production capacity.”

Tesla is not the only one, either. Several Buick models are designed for the Chinese market and produced there before making their way stateside, and the latest Lincoln Nautilus is built in the Changan Hangzhou Assembly Plant.

That US automakers are willing to ship cars to America from the other side of the planet shows that changes must be made, and the legislators behind this letter believe that the US should work with its allies “to impose a coordinated response that collectively dampens demand in our markets.”

If America doesn’t want Chinese EVs, there are only two options: make imports so expensive that it’s pointless to bother trying to sell them here or explore new ways to collaboratively accelerate local EV design, development, and manufacture. The latter will still take ages to manifest, so the best course of action is surely to do both.