Russians Snap Up Chinese E.V.s as Ukrainian Attacks Make Fuel Scarce

Sergei Tselikov, Russia’s leading auto industry expert, has owned more than 20 vehicles, including a Volvo, a Volkswagen and a Range Rover.All had gasoline engines.But in July, as Ukrainian drone strikes against oil refineries left drivers across the country waiting for hours at gas stations, he bought a fully electric Chinese hatchback.

He had to act quickly — the price of the car, made by Great Wall Motor, went up by about $2,000 within days as demand surged.“I tried to fill up one of my cars and drove around to five nearby gas stations, but they had only diesel or lower-grade petrol,” he said, referring to the poorer-quality fuels the government has allowed to be sold to address the shortages.“I was just too lazy to stand in line.”As Ukraine increasingly takes the war to Russia, the effects may be most visible on the roads.

Since the end of June, Russia’s electric-vehicle market has more than doubled.Most of the E.V.s sold in the country are Chinese, a testament to Moscow’s economic pivot in response to Western wartime sanctions.Russia is playing catch-up.

For years, while other nations built out E.V.supply chains and charging infrastructure, Russia looked the other way.

Its position as one of the world’s top oil producers used to keep gasoline cheap.Vast distances between major cities meant charging networks were economically unviable without guaranteed demand.

And harsh winters required automakers to heavily adapt models to the climate.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....