Electric car sales in China, which include pure electric vehicles and hybrids, increased by a massive 162% in the first half of 2016. The split was 134,000 electric vehicles and 36,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. While there is still much work to be done this does show a continuing trend of electric vehicle take up across China, encouraged by the Chinese government.
It is no surprise that Tesla is working on close relations with China and looking to expand its battery operation and sell Tesla vehicles across the country. While it seems fairly obvious that the US will lead the electric car market in the short to medium term, could China be a viable competitor for this mantle?