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Automakers may need governments to shift from EV mandates toward consumer incentives as electric vehicle adoption growth slows in some regions, according to a senior Mazda executive.

Mazda Australia Managing Director Vinesh Bhindi said regulators should focus more heavily on charging infrastructure, subsidies and other measures designed to encourage consumers to switch to electric vehicles during an appearance on the EV-focused "The Electric Viking" podcast released April 6.

"There has to be more and different initiatives to drive that demand part," Bhindi said.

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The industry has already succeeded in expanding the number of EV models available to consumers, according to Bhindi. "The regulations are initially more focused on bringing more options into the market," he said. "You can say tick, that's been achieved."

Bhindi said the next phase of EV growth will likely depend more heavily on convincing more consumers to adopt electric vehicles after several years of rapid expansion.

"Now it's time to focus on demand generation because even after so many options, over 100 battery EV options in the marketplace, it only represents about 8 or 9%," he told "The Electric Viking."

Bhindi also highlighted charging infrastructure support and battery subsidies as potential tools governments could use to accelerate consumer adoption. "One of the proactive things that is currently in play is the battery subsidy," he said.

The push to accelerate electric vehicle adoption is also closely tied to broader shifts in energy storage and battery supply chains, particularly as demand for lithium and other critical minerals continues to rise. Industry observers note that long-term EV growth will depend not only on vehicle availability and incentives, but also on securing the raw materials and infrastructure needed to support large-scale electrification.

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Several global automakers have warned that higher interest rates, affordability concerns and charging infrastructure limitations are slowing EV demand growth in some markets.

"In the near term, I believe EV adoption will now only be about 5% of the U.S. market," Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley said in October. More recent industry data has pointed to slower U.S. EV adoption than in China and Europe, with the International Energy Agency estimating EVs accounted for just under 10% of U.S. auto sales last year. 

Meanwhile, governments in the U.S., Europe and China are tightening vehicle emissions standards as automakers expand electric vehicle lineups.

Legacy automakers including Ford, General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Volkswagen have adjusted EV production plans amid uneven demand growth and rising competition from Chinese EV manufacturers, according to media reports.

"The very high-end EVs — the 50, 70, $80,000 vehicles — they just weren’t selling," Farley told CNBC in December. "We evaluated the market and we made the call. We’re following customers to where the market is, not where people thought it was going to be, but where it is today."

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Bhindi criticized what he called a fines-based approach to encouraging EV adoption. "As opposed to currently, it's basically a stick that's fines based," he told "The Electric Viking." "I don't think that's the only path the regulator should take."

Mazda faced challenges expanding its EV lineup following the rollout of its MX-30 electric crossover, according to media reports.

Consumer hesitation remains one of the biggest obstacles slowing EV sales growth despite the growing number of available models, Bhindi said on "The Electric Viking."

"There are some other barriers, and I do understand consumers will take time to move towards that," he said. "I would encourage the regulators to think about how to drive that demand and support the consumer."

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This article More Incentives Needed To Drive EV Demand, Mazda Executive Says originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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