Shanghai aims to produce 1.2 million new-energy vehicles (NEVs) a year by 2025, with an output value exceeding CNY350 billion, accounting for more than 35% of the city’s automobile manufacturing output value. With the release of Shanghai’s implementation plan for accelerating the development of new-energy vehicles (2021-25), the city has set ambitious goals. It aims to further promote the development of new-energy vehicles, amid rising consumer demand and the city’s goal of becoming a hub of technology and innovation with global influence. Shanghai hopes to make major breakthroughs in core technologies for vehicles. Research and development (R&D) and manufacturing of key components, such as power batteries, are expected to lead the world. Shanghai will further optimize and enhance the production of electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and the Volkswagen modular electric vehicle platform project and promote domestic brands such as Zhiji Motor and SAIC Motor’s R brand.

To facilitate the use of new-energy vehicles, the city is converting existing public charging poles to fast-charging poles and striving to have a total of 10,000 charging poles. By 2025, the city aims to manufacture more than 10,000 fuel-cell vehicles with 70 charging stations for such vehicles. In 2020, 2.64 million vehicles were manufactured in the city, accounting for more than 10% of the country’s total production. More than 238,000 NEVs were locally produced, a year-on-year increase of 190%. The total output value was CNY66.36 billion, a year-on-year increase of 170%.

City officials said consumers’ acceptance of new-energy vehicles is on the rise. In 2020, 120,000 were sold compared with the previous level of 70,000 vehicles per year, and 20,000 have already been sold in January. The city will support Jiading Anting, the Lingang New Area and Jinqiao to build a world-class new-energy automobile industry cluster. In addition, it will promote the integrated development of fuel-cell and intelligent vehicles in the Yangtze River Delta region. China’s auto industry is entering a critical period of transformation and industrial upgrade, the Shanghai Daily reports. Shanghai leads all Chinese municipal cities and provinces in new energy vehicles. By the end of  last year, nearly 424,000 green vehicles were in operation in the city.