AUTHORITIES in Central China’s Henan Province have ordered local buses and garbage trucks to switch to purely electric vehicles in the next few years.

In a three-year action plan on the development of new energy and smart vehicles, authorities said all newly-purchased buses and garbage trucks in the province will be electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, 75 percent of newly-purchased taxis, commuter vehicles, light-duty trucks for logistics delivery and others used in the postal service, tourist sites, ports and airports will be clean energy vehicles, or mainly new energy vehicles (NEVs), this year.

The percentage should increase to 85 percent in 2019 and 95 percent in 2020, according to the plan.

In urban areas of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, all gasoline-powered buses, taxis, garbage trucks and vehicles used in the logistics industry must switch to NEVs by the end of 2020.

The provincial government is aiming to further develop the new energy vehicle industry amid its efforts to upgrade the economy.

By 2020, NEV production in Henan is expected to reach 300,000 units and its total vehicle output is estimated to exceed 2.5 million units, half of which are smart vehicles.

China has encouraged the use of NEVs to ease pressure on the environment by offering tax exemptions and purchase subsidies. The country has been the world’s largest NEV market for three consecutive years, with some 777,000 NEVs sold in 2017 alone. (Xinhua)