forces affecting the industry.
“I’m always concerned when governments are propping up markets,” he says. “The Chinese government is always adjusting its support on the fly, and every time they do that, we see a change in the market.”
However, in China, the primary factors feeding the electric vehicle market are pollution and a lack of energy independence—and neither issue is going away soon, Forcier contends.
“The Chinese government is very bullish on electric vehicles long-term,” he adds. “If we had gas that was $5 or $6 per gallon, we’d see our government focus on electric vehicles, too.”
In 2018, China is planning to enact regulations that Forcier describes as “looking more like California.” Right now, incentives are luring consumers to electric vehicles. Next year, the laws will change and require a certain percentage of cars on the road to be electric vehicles.
“It will affect how cars are sold, but I think it’ll be a net positive for the growth of electric vehicles,” he says.
