The British government has announced a per-mile duty on electric vehicles from April 2028, one of the first major economies to directly tax zero-emission driving. The eVed scheme will charge 3 pence per mile for pure EVs and 1.5 pence for hybrids, raising an estimated £1.2 billion annually to offset declining fuel-duty receipts. Vans, buses and lorries are initially exempt. Officials in London frame the levy as correcting an inequity, but critics warn it removes a key financial incentive for adoption just as the country phases out new petrol and diesel sales.

In Argentina, the cost advantage of home charging remains stark. A full charge of a BYD Dolphin Mini’s 43.2 kWh battery at a Buenos Aires residence costs about 6,480 pesos, roughly 93% less than filling the 48-litre tank of a Fiat Cronos with super-grade petrol. Public fast-charging, however, narrows that gap considerably: the same charge on the Chargebox network can reach 30,240 pesos. The upfront expense of installing a home charger—between US$1,300 and US$1,700—adds a barrier that shapes the real-world economics for many households.

Jakarta’s experience highlights a different friction. The city’s revenue agency reports that 78% of electric car owners are not first-time buyers; the vehicles are second or subsequent purchases. With 63% of Indonesia’s national EV fleet concentrated in the capital, stacked incentives—exemptions from vehicle ownership and transfer taxes, plus free access to odd-even restricted zones—have forgone an estimated 2 trillion rupiah in potential revenue. Officials are now questioning whether the benefits are reaching the intended demographic or simply subsidising affluent households.

On two wheels, the rapid spread of e-bikes is producing a parallel set of safety pressures. In Detroit, emergency physicians describe a rise in serious trauma from machines that can reach 28 mph and weigh more than conventional bicycles. A study by NYU Langone Health of 914 patients at a New York City trauma centre found that electric bike and scooter injuries rose from under 10% of cases in 2018 to more than half by 2023; one-third suffered traumatic brain injury and fewer than one-third wore helmets. In São Paulo, where over 850,000 light electric vehicles now circulate, spot measurements on a major cycleway recorded speeds of 34–35 km/h, above the 32 km/h threshold that legally reclassifies them as mopeds. The city has concluded a public consultation on a proposal to cap speeds at 20 km/h on all roads. Even conventional bicycles face persistent theft, as illustrated by a family in Ribeirão Preto that lost two bikes in a year, underscoring the broader vulnerability of urban cyclists.

Regulatory responses are now crystallising. The UK’s eVed system will require annual odometer readings and allow credit carryovers. São Paulo’s administration is weighing industry calls for differentiated speed limits by infrastructure type. In New Jersey, a new law already mandates e-bike registration and a minimum rider age of 15. The next factual milestones are the publication of São Paulo’s final rule and the detailed design of Britain’s mileage-reporting mechanism ahead of the 2028 launch.