Range anxiety—the fear that an electric vehicle won’t have enough battery power to reach its destination—remains one of the biggest obstacles to widespread EV adoption. A poll conducted last year by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about half of U.S. drivers cited this fear of being stranded on empty as a major reason for not purchasing an EV. But new research out of China suggests that the solution to easing these concerns might actually have more to do with trains than cars.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania recently analyzed China’s decade-long push for electric vehicle (EV) adoption and found that it coincided with the country’s expansion of high-speed rail. Regions with the fastest and most accessible rail networks also saw the highest increases in EV adoption. Overall, they note, high-speed rail boosted EV sales volume by an average of 91 percent. Unlike in the U.S., range anxiety is far less of a concern in China because most residents don’t rely on EVs for long or even medium-distance travel. Instead, they primarily use them for local commuting. The researchers conclude that this strategy of “complementary infrastructure” is more effective than EV subsidies or mandates alone. The findings are part of a working paper published last month on the Penn Institute for Economic Research.
Where trains go, EVs follow
Few countries have adopted EV as readily as China. As of the end of 2024, EVs accounted for 45 percent of new vehicle purchases in the country. That’s compared to just 25 percent and 11 percent for the European Union and US respectively. And while the Chinese government has played an active role in encouraging EVs through subsidies and other advantages for manufacturers, the same could be said of many governments elsewhere. In the US, Tesla alone has reportedly benefited from as much as $38 billion in government funding over the past two decades. Other countries…
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