The ICE Meltdown Continues — July’s China EV Sales Report (44% BEV Share)

This is China car sales news, not a home energy story, but here's what happened. In July, gas-only car sales in China fell 44% compared to a year earlier, part of an overall 21% drop in the country's car market. Meanwhile, fully electric vehicles (BEVs) rose 6% to 647,000 sales, giving them a record 44% share of the market. Add in plug-in hybrids, and 65% of all cars sold in China last month had a plug, up from 54% a year ago. For the year so far, plug-in vehicles account for 56% of Chinese car sales.

The shift is squeezing traditional automakers. Volkswagen's sales fell 41% year over year, Honda's dropped 44%, and General Motors' Buick brand fell 37%, with Chevrolet already exiting the Chinese market entirely. By contrast, Chinese EV brand Leapmotor grew 84% and is closing in on legacy leader Geely for second place among all brands. Exports are also rising fast, with Chinese automakers shipping over half a million vehicles in July, most of them electric, spreading the same trend into other countries' markets.

None of this changes what's available or affordable for a U.S. homeowner shopping for an EV or charger right now, since Chinese-made EVs are largely excluded from the American market by tariffs and trade rules. But it does signal where global battery and EV manufacturing costs are headed, which can eventually affect the price and availability of chargers, batteries, and even home backup systems that use similar technology.