China To Ban Sale Of Fossil Fuel-Powered Cars In A Major Push For Electric Vehicles

The world’s biggest market for vehicles, China, is planning to ban the production and sale of cars that run on pollution-causing fossil fuel in a major push for production of electric vehicles, Mint has reported. The policy would be implemented “in the near future”, according to Xinhua, China’s official news agency.

“These measures will promote profound changes in the environment and give momentum to China’s auto industry development,” China’s Vice-Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xin Guobin has said.

According to China’s national industry figures, sale of new energy vehicles topped 500,000 in the country in 2016. This was 50 per cent more than the previous year.

This Chinese initiative is a part of a larger global push to check the use of pollution-causing fossil fuels and prevent climate change by controlling emissions. It will help push local and global automakers to shift toward electric vehicles. France and Britain have decided to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040.

India is also working on an ambitious plan to eliminate petrol and diesel cars and allow only electric cars by the year 2030. Just last week, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari warned automakers to switch to manufacturing vehicles that run on alternate fuels or be ‘bulldozed’ by government’s changing policy.

Spearheaded by state-owned Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), the transition is being planned in several phases. In the first phase, due for launch this December, EESL will invite tenders for the supply of 25,000 e-autos and 25,000 e-rickshaws, which will then be sold to aggregators.

Also Read: India, The EV Nation: Here Is How The Government May Be Planning That