China sets Phase-Out Date for Gas-Only Vehicles in its Southernmost Province

­China might be the world’s bigger polluter – with more than double the CO2 emissions of the next-closest country, the U.S. – but they’re taking steps, however meager, to rectify that. Kinda. In one very specific way.

The People’s Republic has set an official phase-out date for the pure internal combustion engine in Hainan, China’s smallest and southernmost province. Pure gas-powered vehicles will officially disappear there in 2030.

At that point, only New Energy Vehicles (BEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs) can be newly registered, though plug-in hybrids and other vehicles that are partially gas-powered will be permitted, as well.

According to electricdrive.com, Hainan is aiming for its fleet to be 45% electric in eight years’ time, with a presumed monumental increase in infrastructure spending.

Specifically, with regards to charging infrastructure, and according to Hainan, “The province will strive to make the average service radius of the charging network less than 1 kilometer in key pioneering areas, less than 3 kilometers in priority development areas, and less than 5 kilometers in promotion areas.”

Similar to America’s own mandate for EVs in the federal fleet, Hainan is promising 100% EVs in its own fleet by 2030.

Of course, all of this makes some incredible assumptions, mainly that a nation – or even a small part of it – with a plug-in vehicle penetration rate of 2.3% of all passenger cars, will suddenly embrace EVs at an enormously higher percentage (at least 42% or more).

China might be the world’s leader in lithium-ion battery manufacturing, but few of those portable energy devices find their way onto PRC roads.

And the impetus for this NEV drive, amongst other reasons, is the recent global heat wave which, in China, has led to industrial power restrictions and could even effect semiconductor supplies and availability.

More than nine million people live on the island of Hainan.