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This country went 100% electric vehicles overnight with a drastic approach

22 July 2026 at 15:30

Laos did something no other country has tried: it banned the import of new gas and diesel passenger cars outright. As of June 1, nearly every new car cleared for import has to be electric.

It’s the most aggressive EV mandate on the planet right now, and it has almost nothing to do with consumer demand.

The Iran War is Forcing Energy-Importing Countries to Turn Inward

The Iran war is pushing countries to prioritize domestic energy in order to protect themselves from volatile oil and natural gas markets.

Β© Jes Aznar for The New York Times

The president of Solaric, a rooftop-solar installer based near Manila, said people were now seeing the technology as β€œa way to survive this new age.”
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