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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Chan Ho-Him,Allan Olingo and Anton L. Delgado

High oil prices drive a surge in Chinese electric vehicle sales, but charging networks lag behind

Iran Asia Electric Vehicles - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The war in Iran has helped reshape the global electric vehicle market, giving Chinese automakers an opening across the developing world as soaring fuel prices push drivers towards electric vehicles, even as charging infrastructure lags behind a wave of imports.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping of about a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquified natural gas, first hitting Asia — the main destination for the fuels — followed by Africa.

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