S China province steps up new energy vehicle application

South China's Guangdong province pledges to step up the use of new energy vehicles, setting a goal of 75 percent of its public buses running on new energy across the region by 2020, according to the provincial transportation department.

Besides, to promote green development, the proportion of electric buses in the region is expected to exceed by 65 percent while automobiles used for public transportation are aiming to be completely switched to electric ones in the Pearl River Delta area by 2020.

Shenzhen has taken a lead in replacing all public buses with electric vehicles while Guangzhou and Zhuhai are to reach the goal by the end of 2018.

As of the end of April, there were about 610,000 new energy vehicles running on the road across the province, accounting for 15 percent of the national total. Among them, 56,000 were powered by electricity.

To facilitate the application of such automobiles, Guangdong will accelerate the construction of supporting facilities and services. An inter-city network of electric charging stations will be built along the expressways intersecting cities in the Pearl River Delta area.

Financial subsidies, along with preferential policies on vehicle purchase tax, vehicle and vessel tax, and electric charge, will also be offered to promote the use of new energy vehicles.

Other commercial vehicles driven by new energy will also be subsidized, said the department.