In recent years, the Chinese government and some cities have instituted generous incentives on electric cars, hoping that putting more of them on its roads will curb air pollution. Until late last year, car buyers didn't seem to show much interest. Since then, Chinese electric-car sales have climbed steadily. DON'T MISS: China Built 25,000 Electric Cars & Plug-In Hybrids In June Alone But drivers aren't buying the cars because they actually want them, according to Automotive News China (subscription required). While the numbers appear good, the report argues, there still appears to be a significant lack of enthusiasm for electric cars among Chinese buyers. Sales are up in Beijing, but that city has also severely restricted the number of available registration slots for non-electric cars. BYD Qin plug-in hybrid sedan, unveiled at Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 2012 The city government offers just 20,000 new license plates available each month, through a lottery, but no lottery is required for electric-car registrations. And since the national government's incentive programs are also open to plug-in hybrids, the actual environmental benefit of some of these sales may be questionable. In Shanghai, the bestselling car with a plug is the BYD Qin, a compact four-door plug-in hybrid sedan. ALSO SEE: Will China Overtake The U.S. In Electric-Car Sales This Year? But China's lack of developed charging infrastructure means it's likely that many of those cars will spend most of their time running entirely on internal-combustion power. Nonetheless, plug-in hybrid buyers in Shanghai still get free registration, avoiding fees of up to $12,000 at that city's monthly auctions. In addition, Chinese electric-car sales figures may also include some proportion of what could be considered neighborhood electric vehicles by U.S. standards. 2016 BYD Tang plug-in hybrid SUV, made in China Those vehicles generally have a low top speed, little equipment, and aren't designed to be driven on highways or other crowded thoroughfares. Government enthusiasm for plug-in cars will likely continue to boost sales, as carmakers look for subsidy money. In fact, industry trade groups are suspicious that some carmakers in China may be inflating the sales numbers of plug-in models. MORE: For Electric Car Standards, China And U.S. Work Together On Regulations Last month, an official with the China Passenger Car Association reportedly said that certain unnamed carmakers were exaggerating plug-in sales figures--by up to 20 percent, in some cases. Carmakers are being pushed by the government to put ever-increasing numbers of plug-in electric cars on Chinese roads. Domestic automakers are now reportedly expected to sell 1 million electric cars and plug-in hybrids per year by 2020, and 3 million by 2025. [hat tip: Alysha Webb's ChinaEV Blog] _______________________________________________ Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
In China you literally have to win the lottery to buy an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle. City governments hold a lottery giving certain residents the right to buy such a car each month , and the number in huge cities such as China is 20,000 winners, hence as low as 20,000 new cars, each month . However there is no such lottery for EVs and hybrids, which probably goes some way to explaining their popularity. Furthermore, detractors of the lottery scheme say it is a waste of time as hybrids are not included, meaning they can be bought easily, but the lack of charging infrastructure in Beijing means they are almost certainly run mostly on petrol.