Hainan to ban sale of fossil-fueled vehicles in 2030

Authorities in the southern Chinese island province of Hainan, which has become a newly-established free trade zone, is set to completely prohibit the sale of fossil-fueled vehicles by the end of 2030.

Hainan will become the first province in China to roll out a specific timeline to phase out petrol and diesel-powered automobiles.

This is part of the province’s plan to bolster the sale of clean-energy vehicles.

The local government, in announcing the official plans on Tuesday, say they intend to make the move as part of a three-step strategy.

This includes all public transportation vehicles being replaced by green vehicles in 2020; all the cargo transportation vehicles are set to become non-fossil fueled by 2022; all the private vehicles will have to be upgraded to new energy by the end of 2030.

Plans are also in place to create a province-wide network for charging stations, along with hydrogen filling stations, within the next 5 years.

Authorities also plan to create a green credit system for carbon-emissions to reward those who travel in a green way.