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Leopold Chen

China has vowed to improve electric vehicle charging facilities during this year’s Lunar New Year travel rush as the country prepares for a record number of trips.
Beijing on Tuesday released its annual plan for the 40-day Lunar New Year travel period, known as chunyun in China, which starts on January 14 this year.
The plan was jointly issued by several departments including the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Emergency Management.
Also on Tuesday, a government meeting on the travel rush estimated travellers would make around 9 billion trips during the holiday period, a record high, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Of these trips, 510 million will be made by rail and 90 million by plane, according to Xinhua.
Private vehicles are expected to account for most of the trips, and the ministries have called for adequate charging services for electric vehicles, sales of which have skyrocketed in China in recent years.
“Thorough checks on charging facilities should be conducted before the travel rush to ensure they are functioning properly,” the plan states.
“More chargers should be installed in busy areas and designated personnel should be deployed to maintain proper order in parking and charging.”
The plan also calls for more quick charging and mobile charging facilities to ensure timely and flexible services.


China was home to more than 24.7 million EVs as of July, but the number of chargers stood at about 10 million, and only 3 million of those were public, according to government figures.
In recent years, the shortage of charging facilities – especially in rural areas – has been amplified during the holiday travel rush, as a large volume of EVs hit the road, accompanied by cold weather that increases power consumption.
Drivers had to plan their routes carefully to ensure batteries could be recharged on time, and there were long queues at charging stations in the days surrounding the holiday, which is also known as Spring Festival in mainland China.
The plan released on Tuesday pledges to ensure smooth traffic to and from tourism hotspots such as the southern island province Hainan.
It calls for refining the ferry booking system for cars entering Hainan and prolonging presale periods for travel peaks.
It also calls for flexibility in which aircraft models are used for flights entering and leaving Hainan, increasing the supply of rental cars on the island, promoting free one-way car rental services and encouraging tourists to come to the island without travelling by private car.
The number of tourists travelling to Hainan spiked during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday, with half a million people visiting its top attractions.
But many travellers were stranded on the island at the end of the holiday as return plane tickets were in short supply.
Meanwhile, tourists who drove to Hainan struggled to secure tickets for ferries leaving the island. Electric car drivers were the most affected, as ferry safety guidelines limit EVs to 10 per cent of a vessel’s vehicle capacity because of fire safety concerns.
The plan also calls for ferry operators to increase the capacity of designated EV carriers, increase the number of crew members, and ensure stable services.


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Economy

China Economy

Beijing plans to improve electric vehicle facilities to ease travel rush as it prepares for around 9 billion holiday trips


Beijing plans to improve electric vehicle facilities to ease travel rush as it prepares for around 9 billion holiday trips.


Lunar New Year

China travel

Chinese tourists