A new report from the American Security Project warns the U.S. risks falling further behind China in the global electric vehicle race.

In Michigan, EV adoption is growing but still modest, making up about 4% of all registered vehicles in the state. That’s about 310,000 EVs out of eight million total vehicles on state roads.

Katherine Yusko, a research analyst and lead author of the report, explained the pace of EV sales in the U.S.

“They have slowed a little bit,” Yusko said. “They’ve been less dramatic than perhaps was expected, and this is in part because of the politicization of electric vehicles, their association with climate change, people worry. People have range anxiety. But nevertheless, the U.S. is still expanding.”

Michigan is positioned to become a leader in battery production by 2030, with billions in investments planned. But that goal hinges on federal policy that supports it. Yusko says government support serves an important role in the success of any nation’s EV industry.

“In China, we see the government playing a substantial part in really driving forward the EV sector, and we could see the same happen in the U.S., not perhaps in the same way, but certainly the government has major influence over the course of this industry.”

Yusko notes Tesla once led in EV sales worldwide. That was until China’s Build Your Dreams, or BYD, took the top spot in 2024.