Hainan has set out a plan to ban the sale of new combustion cars by 2030, becoming the first Chinese province to do so.
As part of the “15th Five-Year Plan for the Construction of a Beautiful Hainan” (2026-2030), published on 13 July, the province seeks to increase the share of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in its vehicle stock from 23.75% in 2025 to 45% by 2030. This is much higher than the national target of 30% by 2030 set out in the recent Carbon Peak Action Plan for the same period.
The goal of prohibiting sales of combustion cars in Hainan was first mentioned in central government guidance in 2018.
Hainan is a leader in China’s NEV transition. As of October last year, two out of every three newly registered vehicles there was an NEV, reports Xinhua. The island has several advantages that facilitate NEV use, such as its small area relative to other provinces: its encircling expressway is just over 600 kilometres, which is comfortably within the range of models from various popular NEV brands. The tropical province also rarely experiences low temperatures, eliminating the range loss typically faced by NEVs during cold weather, notes Beijing News.
To support Hainan’s NEV transition, the plan aims for there to be at least one charger for every 2.5 NEVs. It also looks to enhance the province’s integrated charging and battery-swapping platform, and advance the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging pilot programme in the provincial capital Haikou.
Transport is still one of China’s key emission sectors, accounting for about 10% of the country’s total carbon emissions, a Ministry of Transport official told Xinhua last month.
As for whether other regions will follow Hainan’s lead, one industry expert told National Business Daily that areas like Guangdong and Shanghai are likely to do so due to factors such as their well-developed charging infrastructure. However, large-scale, nationwide implementation will need time and further development to catch up.
Read Dialogue Earth’s previous analysis on subsidies and EV battery recycling in China.