China to use more new energy vehicles in public institutions

BEIJING - More public institutions will have greener fleets by 2020, the central authority said Thursday.

Public institutions in China include government organs, education institutions, hospitals, cultural venues and sports facilities.

These institutions should take the lead and add more new energy vehicles to their car pools, according to a statement from the National Government Offices Administration. The statement acknowledged that the institutions may struggle with covering the construction of chargers and other costs.

A new energy rental pilot project launched in 2015 has resulted in over 230 new energy vehicles and 461 chargers now in operation.

New energy vehicles can run for 12,400 km every year and save over 1,200 liters of gasoline, which is equivalent to the reduction of 2.77 tons of carbon emissions.

The statement said private companies will be encouraged to build chargers and provide services.

In December, the administration issued a guideline on energy and resource saving in public institutions. The guideline focused on improving energy conservation, new energy vehicles, water saving and resource recycling.