GoKawiilEach small vehicle that is electrified in China could save around one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions per year.Credit: Daniel Gerard/Alamy
When it comes to decarbonizing transport, the world is fixated on electric cars and buses. But such large, sophisticated vehicles are expensive and resource-hungry. Most people globally cannot afford an electric car, which typically costs tens of thousands of dollars. And surging demand for the ‘critical minerals’ needed to make these machines is raising geopolitical tensions and triggering trade wars even before electric vehicles (EVs) fill our streets.
Yet, beneath this narrative, a quieter revolution has been unfolding — the proliferation of low-speed EVs. Such vehicles, which are more versatile than an electric bike but simpler than a conventional electric car, include small, battery-powered four-wheeled cars, golf buggies and tricycles.
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These provide an affordable, clean alternative for short distance travel, saving emissions and serving a diverse demographic that includes marginalized groups such as older people, rural populations and individuals who receive low incomes. Yet they remain sidelined in sustainability discussions, which show a persistent bias towards technocentric solutions that tend to prioritize innovation over practicality1.
Low-speed EVs are also subject to trade disputes. For example, in August 2025, the US Department of Commerce imposed taxes known as antidumping duties of up to 478% and countervailing duties of up to 679% on certain low-speed personal transportation vehicles imported from China, after an inquiry concluded that they were subsidized and being sold in the United States at less than fair market value2,3.
This dispute is symbolic of a wider problem: sustainability is too often constrained by nationalist agendas, trade competition and special interests, rather than being elevated as a collective imperative that transcends borders and serves humanity. Affordability is one prerequisite for sustainability. By recognizing that all parts of society can drive meaningful change, the world can adopt a more inclusive and practical approach to sustainability — one that values widespread participation as much as technological innovation.
Here we outline three advantages and two challenges for rolling out low-speed EVs. Although we focus on China, similar conditions prevail in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, Latin America and rural US regions, where infrastructure gaps and mobility challenges persist. In such settings, low-speed EVs can offer a practical, low-cost pathway to more-inclusive decarbonization.
Three advantages
Affordability. Low-speed EVs are an extension of the e-bike boom. In China, many manufacturers are repurposing supply chains for existing components and assembling them differently. With lower top speeds and shorter travel ranges than larger passenger EVs (see ‘What are low-speed EVs?’), these vehicles have relatively small, simple battery packs that don’t need high-voltage components or complex cooling systems.
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