China is outpacing the U.S. and other countries in a global race to secure supplies of an all-important element for electric cars.

China’s government is seeking to combat range anxiety for electric vehicle buyers with a pledge to build a charging station for every vehicle on the road by 2020.

China has kept strict rules on foreign automotive manufacturing investment for decades, but a projected deal by Tesla Motors in Shanghai may break a taboo on majority foreign ownership, and herald a new age for vehicle investors in the world’s largest auto market.

China seized global attention in September with the announcement that it had begun earnestly planning a ban on traditional gas-fueled vehicles. So far, no date has been set for the final cutoff, and important strategic details remain murky. But the decisiveness and finality of the announcement has animated environmentalists, investors and auto manufacturers, who sense a unique business opportunity.

Tesla is moving closer to becoming the first foreign car company to have a wholly owned manufacturing operation in China — but how much that will help the

There is a powerful reason that automakers worldwide are speeding up their efforts to develop electric vehicles — and that reason is China.Propelled by v