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Which countries are in no hurry to switch to electric cars?

Countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America continue to have a demand for internal combustion engine vehicles. These regions may become the major market for both new and used vehicles, favoring traditional models.
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A report published by London-based think tank Carbon Tracker predicts that as China, Europe and North America introduce stricter regulations forcing drivers to switch to electric vehicles, car companies will divert non-environmentally friendly products to regions that are not as environmentally demanding.

Among the latter, India, Australia, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa and Thailand are particularly noted as countries that have made little or no effort to fill their roads with vehicles with less toxic emissions, let alone electric cars. The center's experts warn that those countries should not hope for a wide influx of affordable used "electric cars" either, as the battery-powered models that have been phased out of circulation will be recycled where they are manufactured.

The report says that nations with no plans to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles not only fail to contribute to reducing global climate change or making their own air cleaner, they also risk getting stuck in a loop of dependence on fuel prices. For example, Africa spends about $80 billion annually on imported gasoline and diesel.

Carbon Tracker experts recommend the governments of "lagging" countries to stimulate the process of transition to EVs, namely to tighten emission restrictions, limit imports of used cars to relatively new models, eliminate tariffs on electric cars and, in parallel, promote their own production of electric cars.