CHINA’S industry ministry said Tuesday that 207 green energy vehicles are applying for official approval for road use, amid increased oversight of the country’s massive subsidy scheme promoting the segment.

    The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will consider the applications, along with those of more than 3,000 traditional combustion engine models, and release a final list of models approved for manufacturing, sale and registration after a period of public comment.

    Those final approvals often include a separate list of which electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are eligible for subsidies and the 207 models that are applying could be included on that list.

    This year, the government has already rubber stamped 185 green vehicles to receive subsidies in its first round of road use approvals last month.

    China has aggressively promoted green energy vehicles to combat pollution and promote technological innovation, spending billions of dollars in subsidies, although it has stepped up oversight after penalizing dozens of companies last year for cheating the subsidy program.

    Sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles plunged 74.4 percent in January under the new regime, which requires companies to reapply for subsidies for each vehicle model, China’s automakers association said Monday.

    The list released Tuesday includes models from BAIC Motor Corp., BYD Co. Ltd., SAIC Motor Corp. and others.

    (SD-Agencies)