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Word is that China makes getting a license plate for an ICE extremely hard to get, while EVs get basically a free pass.

I don't know about any direct subsidies but I wouldn't doubt that there's something there.

Yes, a former colleague who moved back to Beijing said she'd wait about 18 months for the licence to buy an electric car, but about 5-6 years for an ICE car.

There were both direct subsidies and policies put in place -- such as the license places (which are otherwise hard to get in major cities like Beijing because of efforts to reduce air pollution which was really bad; so for example, you can only drive your car every other day depending on the last digit of your license place (even/odd). However EVs were exempt from this restriction immediately making them extremely popular and cost-effective.

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