China accelerates the push to electric vehicles
China is making a push to create a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, according to Xinhua news agency last week. The effort is part of a goal to have five million green vehicles on Chinese roads by 2020, according to a senior energy official. The plan is to equip at least one in ten public car park facilities for electric car charging, he said, adding that the State Council would soon issue guidance for the infrastructure roll-out. 
Furthermore, the ﻿State Council will reintroduce tax incentives to encourage the purchase of cars whose engine is 1.6-litres or below. Taxes on such vehicle purchases will be halved for buyers from October 1 and will run un﻿til the end of next year. Among the new purchases, more than 30% should be “new-energy vehicles” such as EVs and PHEVs, the government said.

The central government on Sept 29 decided to accelerate the development of fuel-efficient new-energy vehicles to reinforce its green goals.

Industry experts said the move would promote healthy restructuring of the auto manufacturing industry and get rid of heavy polluters.

The State Council will reintroduce tax incentives to encourage purchase of cars whose engine is 1.6-liter or below. Taxes on such vehicle purchases will be halved for buyers from Oct 1 and will run till the end of next year.

The government will also keep tighter control on the purchases of buses and cars for government-funded organizations.

Among the new purchases, more than 30 percent should be new-energy vehicles, the government said. Local governments which do not follow the guidelines will see their subsidies on fuel and operating expenses reduced.

Local governments have also been urged not to impose restrictions on the use or purchase of new-energy vehicles and remove any such restrictions forthwith.

Vehicles that fall below the National II Emission Standard, equivalent to Euro II standard, will be weeded out across the nation by 2017, the government said.

Zhang Yu, managing director of Automotive Foresight (Shanghai) Co Ltd, a market research firm, said: “Reducing taxes will help stimulate sales of new-energy vehicles.”

He said compulsory and punitive steps are necessary to activate the central government’s 30 percent stipulation for new-energy vehicles in fresh purchases. Absence of punitive measures may prompt local governments to scale down funding and purchases of new-energy vehicles.

On Sept 29, a strategic advisory committee led by Vice-Premier Ma Kai recommended development approaches and directions for new-energy vehicles in the “Made-in-China 2025” Key Area Technology Road Map.

The advisory panel has for the first time outlined the energy saving requirements for pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle should consume 25 percent less fuel than the hybrid model when compared with gasoline cars. A small pure electric car should use less than 11.5 kilowatt/hour electricity for every kilometer it runs.