3rd TAGRA

The purpose of this article is to analyze the recent rise of China and South Korea as global leaders in the production and export of electric vehicles by examining the industrial policies these nations have implemented in the sector. This definition of electric vehicles includes all vehicles (passenger cars, buses, trucks, utility vehicles, etc.) and propulsion types that are not exclusively combustion-based, such as battery electric vehicles (BEVs), conventional hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). The study explores the rapid growth in the production of and demand for EVs worldwide, with special attention paid to the growing popularity of this type of vehicle in the Brazilian market and China’s emergence as its main supplier. It then discusses the general context of the development strategy that guides industrial policy initiatives in East Asian countries based on the concept of “developmental environmentalism.” This approach explains how these national energy transitions function as strategies to continue their development trajectories, ensuring these nations’ dominance over the production chains relevant to electrification. The study then analyzes in greater detail the national industrial policy cases for the automotive sector and the electric vehicle production chains in China and South Korea, respectively. Thus, the authors aim to contribute to an understanding of the economic planning aspects of vehicle electrification in the sector’s current frontrunners. This understanding is relevant for the formulation of Brazilian projects aimed at responding to and catching up in this segment.