Authorities in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, are hoping the charging network they have established for the handful of new energy vehicles (NEVs) being used there will encourage other local drivers to opt for the green cars.

There is one charging station, one battery-swap station and 27 charging points for each of the 133 NEVs registered in Urumqi, the Urumqi Electric Power Supply Company said on Monday.

The Urumqi government plans to have 120,000 NEVs in use in the city by 2020, as enthusiasm for NEVs spreads from the more affluent east coast of China.

The country has been rolling out tax exemptions and subsidies to buyers of NEVs since 2014, but the measures have only just been introduced in Urumqi.

It costs around 8.6 yuan (1.3 U.S. dollars) per 100 km to power an electric car, about 40 yuan less than a gas-powered car, according to the Urmuqi branch of the State Grid Corporation.

Some 331,100 electric cars were sold across China in 2015, more than triple the number in 2014, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)