China's cold region sees rising demand for NEVs

HARBIN, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Even in the northeastern Chinese region, where the winter temperature poses challenges for battery-powered cars, the demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) is growing.

This is largely due to advancements in technology and charging facilities amid China's green initiative.

"I've been driving a gas car all my life and never thought I would switch to an electric one," said Song Jun in Harbin, capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The 56-year-old spent 460,000 yuan (about 63,990 U.S. dollars) on his new hybrid electric vehicle.

Harbin is the coldest provincial capital city in China and the lowest temperature in winter can fall to minus 30 degrees Celsius, yet the passion for NEVs has been growing in recent years.

"I think driving NEVs is the future trend as they're more cost-effective than cars that run on traditional fuel," said Song.

Song was attracted by the intelligent driving assistance system, interior space and configuration of the electric automobiles.

The new hybrid electric SUV Song bought has a maximum pure electric battery life of 170 km and takes about 6 hours to fully recharge, costing no more than 20 yuan per charge.

"Basically I don't run on gas in the urban area. The overall cost is much lower than driving a fuel-powered vehicle," Song said.

Tian Jiwei, an NEV salesperson, said that the EV carmaker would install a charging station for the buyer, and the annual maintenance cost is less than 1,000 yuan.

"A garage is needed in Harbin in winter as the temperature is quite low, but it is not necessary in the southern region," said Song, who has no "driving range anxiety" and believes NEVs will become more attractive to consumers with the evolution of cells and the expansion of a vast network of charging facilities across the country.

The NEV boom is powered by decades of painstaking efforts that China has made to embrace a greener and more sustainable development pattern.

Encouraged by official policies supporting the emerging industry, China has topped the world in the volume of NEV production and sales for eight consecutive years.

China's NEV sales rose from 1.37 million in 2020 to 6.89 million in 2022. And in the first half of 2023, NEV sales in the country surged 44.1 percent year-on-year to nearly 3.75 million units, and the NEV output totaled nearly 3.79 million units, expanding 42.4 percent year-on-year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.