Facing the great changes in the automotive industry, many people are still very resistant to new energy vehicles. However, the replacement of new energy vehicles with fuel vehicles is an unstoppable trend.

Hainan Province has confirmed that it will comprehensively ban the sale of fuel vehicles in 2030, becoming the first region in China and even the world to ban the sale of fuel vehicles. Of course, things are not that simple.

1. Hainan Province Bans the Sale of Fuel Vehicles

Various indications show that Hainan has confirmed that it will completely stop selling fuel vehicles in 2030.

As early as 2022, the Hainan Provincial People's Government issued the "Hainan Province Carbon Peaking Implementation Plan", which mentioned that the ban on the sale of fuel vehicles would be implemented in two steps:

By 2025, the proportion of new energy vehicles used in newly added and replaced vehicles in the public sector will reach 100%;

By 2030, the proportion of new energy vehicles used in newly added and replaced vehicles in the private car sector will reach 100%, and the sale of fuel vehicles will be comprehensively banned.

Obviously, the development of new energy vehicles in the past was mostly driven by policies, technological innovation, and industrial upgrading.

However, the current promotion of new energy vehicles to replace fuel vehicles is becoming increasingly aggressive, even radical, such as through legislation.

On August 16th of this year, the Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology issued an "Inquiry Letter for the Consultation Service Project of the Hainan Free Trade Port Promotion of New Energy Vehicle Development Regulations Legislative Consultation Service".

The document stated that to advance the ban on the sale of fuel vehicles in an orderly manner by 2030, Hainan plans to carry out legislative research on the regulations promoting the development of new energy vehicles in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Banning the sale of fuel vehicles through legislation is a mandatory measure. This also reflects Hainan's determination to promote new energy vehicles.

2. The Geographical Location is Very Suitable

From a geographical and climatic perspective, Hainan is indeed more suitable for new energy vehicles than other places.

Firstly, Hainan Island is the southernmost provincial administrative unit in China and the only province entirely located in the tropical region.

Its climate is characterized by four indistinct seasons, with long summers and no winters, and an average annual temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius, with the lowest temperatures still in the teens.

Such temperature conditions undoubtedly provide fertile ground for the development of new energy vehicles, which is conducive to battery energy management, eliminating the problem of rapid battery drain in cold weather and reducing range anxiety.

Secondly, Hainan Island is not too large, with a total area of only 35,100 square kilometers.

Its straight-line distance is less than 200 kilometers from east to west and less than 300 kilometers from north to south, with a circumference of about 850 kilometers. Based on the current mainstream electric vehicle range of around 500 kilometers, this is more than sufficient for daily use.

Coupled with a dense network of charging facilities and the green high-tech development plan of the Free Trade Port, Hainan has unique comprehensive conditions for the development of new energy vehicles.

Data shows that in the first half of this year, Hainan's new energy penetration rate reached 56.8%, ranking first in the country and far ahead of other provinces.

3. It's Not That Simple

Of course, things are not that simple. The replacement of old things by new things is never smooth sailing.

Firstly, fuel vehicles have a history of over a century and are already well-established in terms of technology, products, after-sales service, and maintenance, occupying a dominant position.

On the other hand, new energy vehicles are still in development, with imperfections in various aspects, many problems, and relatively small market share.

Data shows that as of the end of April this year, Hainan had a total of 2.045 million vehicles, of which 328,000 were new energy vehicles, accounting for only 16% of the total. About 84% of vehicles are fuel vehicles, and Hainan still needs more time for new energy vehicles to fully replace them.

Secondly, many people have had very negative experiences with new energy vehicles in Hainan.

Based on safety considerations, the Qiongzhou Strait ferry regulations in Hainan stipulate that the proportion of new energy vehicles carried on each ferry must not exceed 10% of the total, and they must be placed at the designated bow and stern positions on the deck.

During the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon, when traffic flow increases, ferry tickets are difficult to obtain, and new energy vehicles are even harder to book for a long time. This has resulted in many people being stranded on the island for several days.

New energy vehicle owners have suffered greatly, and such extremely poor experiences have triggered much negativity. These are urgent pain points that Hainan needs to address in promoting new energy vehicles and banning the sale of fuel vehicles.

Finally, policy guidance and legislative research indicate that Hainan's determination to ban the sale of fuel vehicles seems strong at present. In contrast, many countries that have previously enacted similar policies have since backtracked.

For example, several European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom initially set the ban on fuel vehicle sales for 2030 but later regretted their decisions.

Last year, the European Parliament postponed the ban by five years, passing a resolution to ban the sale of fuel vehicles in 2035 after considering opinions from various countries.

Even so, many countries have again backtracked, with Germany, Italy, Hungary, and other countries forming an "anti-ban" alliance to oppose the resolution.