Great efforts needed to pave way for new energy cars
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, November 11, 2014
Toward the future
Noticeable increases in NEV sales notwithstanding, experts have cautioned against complacency, calling the progress "long-hanging fruit".
At present, NEV use has generally been promoted for public transportation and by government organs. It needs to be made more appealing to private consumers.
Vice president of China Machinery Industry Federation, Chen Bin, said that NEVs were not likely to replace traditional cars before the battery plaguing NEVs were solved.
Besides, the price of NEVs, despite the attractive double subsidies, continue to put off buyers.
Potential, albeit price sensitive, car buyers are also concerned about inadequate NEV infrastructure. One Wuhan citizen, identified by the surname Chen, said that he would not consider a NEV before more supporting electric facilities were built.
Currently in Wuhan, there are a mere four charging stations with 167 charging piles. The city plans to invest 44 million yuan by the end of the year to finance another 1,280 charging piles.
Other than government funds, social capital should be encouraged to play a role in making NEV use more attractive, said Zhang Guofang, vice dean of Wuhan University of Technology's School of Automotive Engineering.
Zhang proposed NEV rental -- a "try before you buy" project -- as a way of introducing the public to the vehicles.
Last year, nearly 18,000 NEVs were sold in China.
China plans to add around 300,000 NEVs to its public transportation fleets by the end of 2020.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)