The European Union took the next step toward collecting heavy tariffs on electric vehicles, ahead of a final decision in October.
The tariffs have been expected for months, but many European automakers warned they will drive up prices for consumers and set off a trade war with China.
Automakers are exploring energy storage as a way to help utilities and save customers money, turning an expensive component into an industry asset.
The United States and Europe are trying to catch up to a rival skilled in using all the levers of government and banking to dominate global manufacturing.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned that China’s industrial strategy posed a global threat that requires a united response.
Automakers in the United States and their supporters welcomed President Biden’s tariffs, saying they would protect domestic manufacturing and jobs from cheap Chinese vehicles.
The president has proposed new barriers to Chinese electric vehicles, steel and other goods that could undermine his manufacturing agenda.
Ursula Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, pushed Beijing to help rein in Russia’s war in Ukraine after meeting with the Chinese and French leaders in Paris.
From cars to solar panels to furniture, China is using lavish bank lending and enormous investments in robotics to cement its global leadership in manufacturing.
Sales of the company’s electric cars dropped in the first three months of the year, even as other automakers sold more battery-powered vehicles.