China dazzled the 2010s with a speedy and vast electric bus network. Now, its electric buses aren’t just changing China’s EV game; they’re shaping the world’s.

Well, gather ’round for the riveting tale of China’s electrifying bus drama! Brace yourselves as we unfold the saga of two buses on Nanjing Xi Lu—one, a fossil from 1928 with a penchant for overhead wires, and the other, a sleek electric heartthrob powered by lithium batteries. Move over, Diesel, it’s electric avenue time!

China, in its brilliant stroke of genius, decided to conquer the world not with swords but with electric buses. Forget about curbing air pollution; this was all about industrial growth, darling. Picture this: fixed bus routes, predictable daily mileage, and a government playing puppeteer. And so, the “Ten Cities and Thousand Vehicles” program was born, aiming to have 10% new energy vehicles by the end of 2012. Spoiler alert: they missed the mark, but who cares when you’re on the road to green glory?

Fast forward to Shenzhen, the city that stole the EV thunder by becoming the first to ditch the noise for a symphony of silent electric buses. Yes, folks, we’ve got subsidy fraud scandals, policy tweaks, and a dazzling EV charging network—the real superhero in this blockbuster.

Hold your breath as we unveil China’s master plan: make buses electric first, then the world! The “dual-credit” policy was the cherry on top, letting EV makers flex their credit muscles. By 2017, Shenzhen had a grand electric bus party, phasing out all the gas-guzzlers. But hey, growth brings its own set of problems—cue the updated 2020 target to 400,000 new energy buses and the gradual subsidy phase-out. Let’s call it a hiccup in the green utopia.

Now, onto the global stage. Europe’s playing catch-up, the US is devising a “school-bus strategy” (yes, you read that right), and Latin America is embracing Chinese e-buses like long-lost siblings. But, oh dear EU, contemplating anti-subsidy investigations because China’s EV dominance is just too much to handle. Meanwhile, the world collectively gazes at China’s electric bus triumph, but whispers under its breath, “Do we need a broader shift for those Paris Agreement goals?”

In the heartland, China preaches the green gospel—prioritize public transport, ditch the gas guzzlers, and swipe an app for a free bus ride. Who cares if manufacturing isn’t exactly eco-friendly? We’ve got accessible e-buses paving the way to a greener tomorrow. All aboard the e-bus hype train, where sarcasm is the currency and lithium is the new gold!