Chongqing - Chongqing was chosen as one of the 15 pilot cities outlined in according to a notice on the first batch of comprehensive electrification pilot zones for public vehicles on November 13.

It aims to propel the widespread electrification of new energy vehicles in public domains, adding more charging stations, speeding up electrification, and exploring new technologies. Bridging News had an exclusive talk with the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology to understand what Chongqing plans to do and achieve during the pilot phase.

First and foremost, the city will deploy over 100,000 standard new energy vehicles in public areas, reaching an electrification rate exceeding 80% in sectors such as urban public transportation, taxis, sanitation, and postal services. Other sectors will also witness a significant increase in the electrification rate.

The goal is to transform Chongqing into a "distinctive, well-structured, and innovatively developed' pilot city for the comprehensive electrification of public vehicles by 2025. This involves creating a green and low-carbon transportation system, leading a national landscape for the application of new energy and intelligent connected vehicles.

The integrated light-storage charging, inspection, and swapping station is in Tongliang District, Chongqing City. (Photo/Yan Lingli)

H1 securing the second position nationwide

Chongqing is home to 20 automobile manufacturing enterprises, with 16 focusing on new energy vehicles. Their product range spans pure electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell models. In the first half of this year, the city's automobile production reached 1.048 million units, securing the second position nationwide.

Statistics of Chongqing's production of new energy vehicles in the first half of this year. (Graphics/ Vivian Yan)

In 2022, the production of new energy vehicles reached 365,000 units, marking a remarkable 140% year-on-year increase. For the first half of this year, the production of new energy vehicles amounted to 152,000 units, reflecting a 9.6% year-on-year growth.

Accelerating electrification in public sectors such as government fleets, taxis, and urban public transportation and supporting the large-scale operation of electric, hydrogen fuel cells, and other models in various application scenarios. 

Currently, a total of 350,000 new energy vehicles have been promoted, including 120,000 in the public sector, with 14,400 electric vehicles equipped with battery swapping capabilities, ranking among the top in the nation.

In addition, the Chinese government has pledged to achieve a 40% incorporation of clean energy vehicles among all new vehicles by 2030, a notable increase from the 26% recorded in 2022.

By 2035, all vehicles in this category, including buses, taxis, and rental cars, will be electric. Presently, 77% of buses nationwide utilize new energy sources like electricity and hydrogen.

Comprehensive electrification of vehicles in various sectors

Moving forward, Chongqing will systematically advance the comprehensive electrification of vehicles in various sectors, creating a high-quality charging and swapping infrastructure system that covers a wide range and builds a moderate scale, reasonable structure, and comprehensive functionality.

This involves promoting innovative applications of new technologies and models, including new charging technologies, vehicle-network interaction, autonomous driving, and vehicle-to-everything communication.

By integrating the city's advantageous resources, Chongqing plans to solidify its results in promoting electric vehicles in public transportation, taxis, ride-hailing services, and postal and express delivery services. 

Efforts will be intensified to promote the electrification of government vehicles, sanitation vehicles, postal and express delivery vehicles, city logistics, airport vehicles, and other specific sectors systematically and phased.

Additionally, there will be a focus on enhancing the construction of charging and swapping infrastructure. Chongqing aims to build more than 240,000 charging piles and 200 swapping stations.

Chongqing's plan for the construction of charging and swapping infrastructure. (Graphics/ Vivian Yan)

Specifically, more than 100 light storage charging and swapping demonstration stations will be constructed, encompassing over 6,000 high-power charging piles exceeding 180 kW and over 100 supercharging piles exceeding 350 kW.

The city will accelerate the standardization and sharing of electric vehicle swapping technologies and promote the interconnection between the city's charging pile platform and parking data platform.