Europe Needs More Cheap EVs. Tariffs Will Keep Prices High (1)

The European Union needs more and cheaper electric vehicles. Brussels’ decision to impose new tariffs on Chinese-made models will keep prices higher for longer, and act as a deterrent to sales.

The bloc waded into a messy battle over global EV trade on Wednesday, announcing that it will hike tariffs to as high as 48% on vehicles imported from China. In messaging that chimed with the case Washington has been making for months, the European Commission vowed to protect a mainstay industry from what it said were illegal subsidies.

Reactions were swift: this is unhelpful for getting down high ...