Plug-in electric vehicles in China

[1][2] The Chinese government began implementation of its NEV program in 2009 to foster the development and introduction of new energy vehicles,[1] and electric car buyers are eligible for public subsidies.

[24][28] The government set the goal to raise the country's annual production capacity to 500,000 plug-in hybrid or all-electric cars and buses by the end of 2011, up from 2,100 in 2008.

[30] A mid-September 2013 joint announcement by the National Development and Reform Commission and finance, science, and industry ministries confirmed that the central government would provide a maximum of US$9,800 toward the purchase of an all-electric passenger vehicle and up to US$81,600 for an electric bus.

The China Industrial Association of Power Sources expected new energy vehicle sales to reach between 200,000 and 220,000 NEVs in 2015, and 400,000 units in 2016.

[36] After the government imposed penalties to several carmakers for defrauding the subsidy program out of almost 10 billion yuan, CAAM revised downward in September 2016 its 2016 sales target to 400,000 new energy vehicle orders.

[38] As intercity driving is rare in China, electric cars provide several practical advantages because commutes are fairly short and at low speeds due to traffic congestion.

This network will cover residential areas, business districts, public space and inter-city highways, according to a guideline released by the State Council.

The objective of the special plates is to facilitate police enforcement of the preferential policies that some local authorities apply to cleaner cars to help cut emissions and ease traffic.

New energy vehicles were placed in a special category where the odds of winning a license plate are much higher than conventional autos.

[46] In 2017, China successively introduced policies related to new energy vehicles, involving infrastructure, subsidies and technology research and development.

The specific regulations are implemented and managed in accordance with the Catalogue of NEV Models Exempt from Vehicle Purchase Tax.

The four ministries issued the requirements of The Notice on Improving the Financial Subsidy Policy for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles[55] on December 31, 2021.

[75][76][77][78] The gap between the two countries widened in November 2016, as 41,795 new energy passenger cars were sold in China, while only 14,124 were sold in the U.S.[79][80] By November 2016, China's cumulative total plug-in passenger vehicles sales also overtook Europe, making the country the global leader in the light-duty plug-in vehicle segment.

[67][81] IHS Automotive predicted Chinese annual plug-in car sales will reach 1 million in 2019, four years before the United States.

Overseas, China provided around 900 electric buses for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, produced by Chinese manufacturer Yutong.

[91] Sales of low-speed electric vehicles (LSEVs) experienced considerable growth in China between 2012 and 2016 due to their affordability and flexibility because they can be driven without a driver license.

[16][92] LSEVs generally have a maximum speed of between 40 and 70 km/h (25 and 43 mph), have short ranges and, in some cases, use lead-acid batteries and basic motor technology.

In addition, two-wheelers have reached cost parity with internal combustion engine models, making them affordable and attractive to consumers.

In addition, electric two-wheelers will also be installed with new technologies like auto lock, seat sensor, phone app connection and battery monitor.

Secondly, many Chinese customers have delayed taking possession of their Model S car while waiting for the government to add the Tesla to the list of electric vehicles exempt from its 8% to 10% purchase tax.

[19] Sales growth through September was lower than expected due to the government's inquiry about extensive fraud cases regarding subsidies granted to manufacturers in 2015.

[125] As of December 2016[update], the BYD Qin, with 68,655 units sold since its inception, remained the all-time top selling plug-in electric car in the country.

[108][102][118][103][126] A lot of the sales of the BYD and Roewe electric vehicles were contributed by rental fleets to run on ride share app giant Didi.

[127] In October 2016, BYD passed Tesla Motors to become the world's all-time second largest plug-in electric passenger car manufacturer with more than 171,000 units delivered in China since 2008.

Sales of domestically produced new energy passenger vehicles totaled 579,000 units, consisting of 468,000 all-electric cars and 111,000 plug-in hybrids.

[134][4][20] As of December 2018[update], cumulative sales of domestically produced highway legal plug-in electric passenger cars totaled 2,243,772 units since 2009.

[136] With less than a year in the market, the Hongguang Mini, with 119,255 units sold, was China's and the world's second best selling plug-in car after the Tesla Model 3.

[142] China's annual sales of electric cars were impressive, but their growth was stagnant at the end of the year due to the impact of the pandemic.

[87] As of 2018[update], six Chinese cities have in place major restrictions on internal combustion vehicle purchases: Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Tianjin.

[92] According to sales estimates made by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the sales volume in these six cities is such, that they would rank among the world's largest plug-in electric car markets in 2018, if compared with the top selling countries in 2018, excluding China and the U.S.[92] China has been building EV charging infrastructure ever since 2013 and experienced the most public charging growth infrastructure since 2013.

A BYD dealership in Shenzhen . BYD Auto is the all-time largest new energy vehicle manufacturer in China.
Nio ET7. Nio vehicles are equipped with battery swapping technology.
Li L9 , a range-extended electric vehicle
Annual sales of new energy vehicles in China between 2011 and 2021 [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 4 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ]
Tesla Model X with Shanghai 's new green EV vehicle license plate in 2018
Cumulative light-duty plug-in electric vehicle sales in China compared to the world's top-selling countries and Europe as of December 2021 . China has the world's largest stock of plug-in passenger cars.
Comparison of annual plug-in electric passenger car sales between China, Europe, and the U.S. (2014 - 2021) [ 23 ] [ 22 ] [ 9 ] [ 71 ] [ 72 ] [ 73 ] [ 74 ]
Foton Motor hydrogen fuel cell bus in Beijing .
Sunwin battery-electric bus in Shanghai
Three-wheeler low-speed electric vehicles for package deliveries
Electric scooters in Chengdu
Cumulative sales of new energy vehicles in China between 2011 and 2021 [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 4 ] [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ]
The BYD Qin plug-in hybrid is the all-time top selling passenger new energy vehicle in China since 2014, with cumulative sales of over 49,500 units up to March 2016. [ 102 ] [ 103 ] [ 104 ] [ 105 ] [ 106 ]
Market share of new plug-in electric passenger cars in China, Europe and the United States between 2015 and 2021
Comparison of Chinese ownership of plug-in passenger cars in use per 1,000 people with other top selling plug-in markets at the end of 2021
Plug-in electric car sales in six Chinese cities compared to the world's top selling countries in 2018 (excluding China and the U.S.) [ 143 ] [ 144 ] [ 92 ]