Tesla may be one of the most recognizable brands in terms of electric cars in the world right now, but according to new data, the U.S. is lagging behind in the adoption of green vehicles compared to China and Europe. This progress is largely driven by changes in legislation, which is not likely going to get much help from an incoming administration that openly denies climate change.

Shifting to electric cars or at least, vehicles that had less carbon footprint than regular gas-guzzling sets of wheels has been at the forefront of the auto industry’s agenda for years. Governments have been putting the screws on car companies with strict emissions regulations, with Europe and China leading that charge, Business Insider reports.

Thanks to changes in two of the largest consumer markets in the world, automakers and consumers have had no choice but to comply with the new rules. As a result, more and more plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are hitting the roads every year. This is pretty much what leaders of the auto industry told their audience during the auto show held in Detroit.

As to why China is suddenly becoming a lead in the fight against carbon emissions, the simple fact of the matter is that several of its major cities are suffocating under a blanket of thick smog produced by smoke-belching monsters on the roads as well as coal factories that have been breathing carbon into the air. As a result, the government itself has had to step in and go so far as to subsidize significant chunks of its electric vehicle market, The Globe And Mail notes.

By 2020, the government of the most populated country on earth wants 5 million plug-in vehicles on the road. With the meteoric rise in electric vehicle sales that the market is seeing, this might just happen.