China's Hainan province plans to completely phase out sales of vehicles with traditional engines by 2030. Regional authorities have set this target in a new ecological civilization development plan for 2026–2030, making Hainan the first Chinese region to push forward with a full transition to low-emission transport, reports infohub.kz.
According to the document, by the end of the decade all new and replacement vehicles in public transport and utilities, as well as new private cars (except special-purpose vehicles), must run on clean energy sources.
Authorities expect the share of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the province's total vehicle fleet to rise from 23.75% in 2025 to 45% by 2030. At the same time, Hainan plans to expand charging infrastructure: the ratio of electric vehicles to charging points should remain around 2.5 to 1.
The province first announced its transition to electric vehicles in 2018, becoming the first provincial-level administrative region in China to set a specific deadline for phasing out sales of traditional engine cars.
In recent years, Hainan has become one of the country's leaders in NEV adoption. According to the local department of industry and information technology, by October 2025 the share of new energy vehicles among new registrations reached 67.14% — meaning roughly two out of every three new cars on the island were electric or hybrid.
The accelerated electrification of transportation in Hainan is linked to a massive overhaul of the region's energy sector. By the end of June 2026, the share of installed capacity from renewable sources — including solar and wind power — reached 50.1% of the province's total power system capacity.
Under the new plan, authorities also intend to develop offshore wind, nuclear, and geothermal power generation, as well as use alternative fuels — renewable natural gas, biodiesel, and aviation biofuel.
By 2030, the share of renewable energy in Hainan's installed capacity is expected to reach 55%.
Hainan's strategy aligns with China's national drive to reduce carbon emissions and develop low-carbon energy. Beijing has set a target to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
China is already the world's largest market for electric vehicles. In the first half of 2026, the share of NEV registrations nationwide reached 49.42%, up 4.45 percentage points from the same period last year. A total of 5.195 million new energy vehicles were registered in the six months.
By the end of June 2026, China had 48.97 million NEVs — about 13.19% of the national vehicle fleet. Of these, 33.68 million units, or 68.77%, were fully electric vehicles.