While the U.S. government retreats on this critical clean technology, China continues its ascent, per August sales figures [E&E News]:

Sales of pure-electric cars rose 31.7 percent from a year ago to 72,000 units. Sales of gasoline-electric hybrids jumped 130.8 percent to 28,000 vehicles.

Beijing is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar campaign to promote electric car development in hopes of creating a profitable new industry. Automakers are rolling out dozens of electrics but still rely on sales of gasoline-powered models for their profits.

In August, Nissan Motor Co. began production of its first electric sedan designed for China. The Sylphy Zero Emission, based on Nissan’s Leaf, is the first of dozens of lower-cost electrics being developed for China by General Motors, Volkswagen and other global automakers.

From a climate perspective, it’s a good thing that China is throwing its manufacturing muscle toward clean cars. It means cheap EVs will be abundant in our near future.

But from a U.S. economic competitiveness standpoint, it’s a major surrender. While California is continuing its leadership on electric vehicles, the future of transportation increasingly looks like it will mostly involve inexpensive Chinese models plying America’s roads.