Clean-fuel cars, such as those pictured, can now move freely around West Lake.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)
Hangzhou government has exempted green cars from current traffic restrictions in an attempt to encourage greater public use of clean-energy vehicles.
Starting last week, electric and plug-in hybrid cars are no longer subject to regulations that determine which days odd and even license plate numbers are allowed on certain roadways.
The restrictions are part of a strategy to ease notorious traffic congestion in an urban area of 1.2 million vehicles.
At present, odd- and even-numbered car plates are allowed on roadways in the West Lake Scenic Area on alternate days between 8:30am and 5pm. Vehicles with out-of-town plates are banned from designated roads during peak hours.
The rules may have helped relieve traffic gridlock since they were imposed, but they also have resulted in inconvenience for many city residents.
For drivers of green cars, the inconvenience is lifted. They merely have to supply vehicle documents to the traffic authorities to get a tag for their cars exempting them from the restrictions.
Will moves like this help advance the clean energy cause in a nation bent on becoming the greenest car country in the world?
Staff at the BYD Automobile 4S shop, where the new-energy vehicle manufacturer sells its plug-in hybrids, said customer inquiries have increased since the new policy was announced. At present, the policy only exempts all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Non-plug-in hybrids are expected to be included in the future, according to officials.
"We certainly expect that non-plug-in hybrids will be able to benefit from the policy," said Hu Rong, manager of the Lexus 4S Store, which sells the gasoline-electric hybrid CT200h. "It is a chance to popularize new-energy vehicles and help decrease exhaust emissions. The problem with cars that depend on charging systems is the lack of charging infrastructure so far."
At the end of 2015, Hangzhou has only 500 charging poles. The 82 charging poles at 19 stations provided only 3,933-kilowatt hours of electricity in October 2015, which means each charging pole delivered 1.6-kilowatt hours a day, said Li Yuefeng, general manager of the Hangzhou Yuexing New Energy Car Rental Service Co Ltd. The poor usage is blamed on high electricity costs and the scarcity of charging poles.
To address that issue, the Hangzhou government said it plans to set up an additional 3,500 charging poles for motorists of clean energy vehicle. That would bring the total number in the city to 4,000, plus five large-scale charging centers.
The government is also encouraging residents to apply for personal charging poles, though the lack of fixed parking spaces in residential areas makes that difficult for many.
Newly built residential communities, shopping malls, office buildings and parking lots have been directed to include charging facilities at their sites. The directive stipulates that 10 percent of total parking spaces should have access to charging facilities.
Hangzhou considers itself a leader in China's drive to put clean energy automobiles on the roads. There are about 22,131 green vehicles now in the city, ranking it third across the country. More than 7,500 new-energy cars are expected to be added this year.
To stimulate consumer buying, the government provides a subsidy of 30,000 yuan ($4,632) for every all-electric vehicle and 20,000 yuan for each plug-in hybrid.
When the city initiated limits on issuance of new car license plates in 2014, all-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen-fueled cars were exempted. Since then, 19,941 green vehicles have been licensed.
Unfortunately, the numbers don't reflect enthusiasm for green vehicles among the general public. Most of the green cars on the road are purchased by rental companies. Ordinary motorists are still leery about parting ways with the traditional internal combustion engine. In order to popularize energy-saving consciousness, the Hangzhou Bus Group now operates 4,263 buses, or 86 percent of its fleet, powered by clean energy.
The Hangzhou government has launched projects to encourage citizens to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle and rid the city of its "clogged" reputation.
One of its initiatives is the public electric vehicle rental program, which began in 2013. It now has more than 100 rental stations with 16,000 electric cars for public use.
Citizens can rent one of the cars by showing their identification cards and driver licenses. The charge is 20 yuan per hour. The electric vehicles are small, seating only two people. After a 30-minute charge, a vehicle can run for between 80 to 100 kilometers.
In addition, Hangzhou continues to upgrade its public bicycle rental program with smartphone software that provides users with the latest rental information, including location of available bicycles, and allows payment via phones.
At the beginning of this year, there were an estimated 81,400 bicycles in the program, with average daily use by 300,000 people.
