Electric vehicles are flooding onto Chinese roads at a staggering pace, replacing millions of gas guzzlers and cutting down on toxic tailpipe emissions. It’s not all good news, though. As big, heavy EVs grow more common across the country, the roads beneath them are taking some serious punishment, leaving authorities scratching their heads over how to pay for the repairs.

 

Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that 60 percent of new cars launched in the country in the first half of this year stretched beyond 16 feet (5 meters), as a growing number of local manufacturers develop ever-larger and ever-more-luxurious SUVs and minivans to meet rising demand.