China plans to promote 60,000 energy saving and new energy vehicles nationwide in 2012, among which, various kinds of hybrid-powered vehicles will account for over 95 percent, said Wan Gang, minister of Science and Technology on May 14.

 

At present nearly 10 kinds of new energy vehicles have been given a "production license," and a batch of new energy vehicles including the "zero emission" electric-only powered vehicles will successively appear on the market.

 

Wan said that, the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the Ministry of Finance, National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has launched a national energy-saving and new energy vehicle demonstration project. The initially-selected 13 pilot cities will promote the use of new energy vehicles, mainly hybrid-powered, for public transportation, taxi, official business, municipal administration, postal service and other forms of public transport. In some big cities where conditions permit, the ministry will duly promote electric-only powered vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.

 

In recent years, relevant departments of the Chinese government have stepped up policy support for energy saving and new energy vehicles. As chairman of the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) supervision board Ji Xiaonan pointed out, judging from the development plan of world's major automobile manufacturers, the industrialization era of new energy vehicles will arrive earlier than expected.

 

Currently, "low emission" hybrid electric vehicles have entered into a phase of large-scale industrialization. Over one million hybrid power vehicles have been sold globally, while mass production of "zero emission" vehicles will be realized in the year 2015, 10 to 15 years earlier than originally expected.

 

Ouyang Minggao, expert leader of the overall team of the Energy-saving and New-energy Auto Project of the National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program) predicted that future fuels of China's new energy vehicle may show a trend of being composed of three types: hybrid power, pure electricity and fuel cell.