NEW-ENERGY vehicles in Shenzhen and four other cities in the country will be issued with new license plates next month to distinguish them from traditional gas-powered vehicles, the Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday. The traffic management bureau of the Public Security Ministry announced on its official Weibo account Monday that Shenzhen, as well as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuxi and Jinan have been chosen as the five pilot cities to issue new license plates for new-energy vehicles starting Dec. 1. The bureau conducted online polls in April and May, which were voted by over 145,000 netizens who approved the new look of the license plates. The new license plates will have special marks and adopt anti-counterfeit technology. The license plate for small new-energy vehicles is green, while the background color of a large vehicle’s plate is green and yellow. Unlike traditional license plates with five numbers, the new license plates will have six numbers to cope with the growing demand from new-energy vehicles. Besides, electric vehicles will have a “D” on their license plates, while hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel-cell vehicles will be labeled with an “F” on their license plates. The cost of each license plate will remain 100 yuan (US$15). Car owners will get the new license plates if they register their vehicles with the authority after Dec. 1, but those who obtain license plates before Dec. 1 can still decide whether they want to use the new license plates or not. The traffic management departments in the five pilot cities will launch online license plate selection systems to ensure the license plate number selection is fair and open. The authorities will also open special windows or green passageways to help car owners apply for the new license plates, and free installation service will be provided. Currently, there are 555,500 registered electric vehicles nationwide, and the number of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles in China will be above 5 million by 2020, according to the report. (Zhang Yang) | 