Auto Shanghai showcases China's electric vehicle dominance.

The Shanghai auto show, the largest in China since before the pandemic, showcased the dominance of electric vehicles in the world’s largest car market. Volkswagen forecasted that half the cars sold in China will be electric within two years, up from 6 percent in 2020. Chinese automakers are leading the field with unusual electric car designs, while foreign companies and their Chinese joint ventures have played it safe. Most of the cars displayed at the auto show use lithium batteries, but long term, many in the industry believe sodium can become a viable alternative or supplement to lithium as a key ingredient in EV batteries.