Shenzhen City will add 1500 pure electric BYD K9 buses and e6 taxis to its public transportation fleet, already the largest zero-emissions fleet in service world-wide. Commenting on these successes, Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) Director Xiangzhen Lu said, ―Shenzhen is the first city in China to implement a subsidy for new energy vehicles and the first city to launch consumer sales of the BYD e6.‖The zero-emissions Taxi fleet has already given many consumers their first experience with the BYD all-electric, 5-passenger e6, China’s first long-range, pure-electric car. SDRC cited rising oil prices and growing environmental pressures as key reasons to transform the public transportation system. Shenzhen City believes electrified transportation offers the most effective way to simultaneously stimulate economic recovery while restoring the environment by lowering CO2 emissions. The addition to the fleets will include 1000 pure electric buses and 500 pure electric taxies, all manufactured by BYD.
ShenzhenCitywill also establish new policies in hopes of encouraging private EV use. The SDRC announced that Shenzhen is formulating measures to impose fees on emissions from gasoline cars while rewarding alternative energy vehicle drivers based on distance traveled. Other incentive policies include allowing pure electric drivers to use the public bus lane during rush hour, insurance privileges, and free annual maintenance checks. China’s Southern Power Grid Company has agreed to install free-of-charge, two electric vehicle charging poles for each Shenzhen EV driver — one at the home or apartment of the driver and another near the EV driver’s place of business. Shenzhen City continues to offer extremely affordable peak and off-peak electricity prices for new energy vehicle users, reducing nightly charging costs to only 0.3yuan RMB per KWh (~$0.04 USD/KWh equivalent). The SDRC predicts that private alternative energy vehicle use in Shenzhen will increase by over 3000 units in 2012 and plans to install and support over 6,000 new charging pedestals accordingly.