China's Hainan province to become the first region to ban ICE-only cars by 2030

China’s southernmost province, Hainan, has become the first region in the country to outright ban the sales of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles from 2030.

An announcement by the Hainan local government said it will ban sales of ICE-only vehicles as part of its Carbon-Peak Implementation Plan in an effort to curb C02 emissions on the island province, known for its tourism.

The plan, however, makes provisions for New Energy Vehicles (NEV) – an umbrella term used to refer to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Plug-In Hybrids (PHEV), and Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

According to the same plan, by 2025, all new and replacement public and administrative vehicles will be electrified.  Also outlined are plans to boost EV usage in the light logistics, urban sanitation and ride-hailing sectors, to accelerate the transition from ICE-only vehicles.

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To support this massive switch, the province will expand its charging network charging infrastructure network across the entire island, ahead of the scheduled timeframe.

According to the plan, by 2025, “the number of NEVs to the number of charging infrastructure in Hainan will be less than 2.5:1, and that ratio for public charging piles will be less than 7:1.”

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This will see an “average service radius of the charging network of less than 1 km in key pioneering areas, less than 3 km in priority development areas, and less than 5 km in promotion areas”.

Besides the expanded charging infrastructure – the local government will also promote the use of EVs through targeted tax incentives, parking provisions and zero-emission zones. A unified battery swapping and charging platform are also in the works.

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Hainan’s move to ban sales of ICE-only cars can be seen as a crucial milestone in the country’s larger plan of banning fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2030, moved forward from 2035.

With over 10 million EVs already seeing duty in China – the country looks set to achieve its EV targets ahead of schedule.