China's Hainan Province to end fossil fuel car sales in 2030

CHINA's southernHainanislandwill end sales of fossil fuel-onlycarsin 2030,officialssaid, becoming the firstprovinceto announce a target end date for a transition away from gas guzzlers.Beijing announced plans in 2017 to phase out petrol vehicles across thenation, but it did not set a date, as thecountry aims to cut pollution and reduce its dependence on imported oil.

Starting in 2030, sales of fossil fuelcarswill be prohibited inHainan, the provincialgovernmentsaid Tuesday, withofficialssaying they aim to reach President Xi Jinping's goal for theislandto become a "civilized ecology test zone." Known as CHINA's Hawaii thanks to its resorts and tropical beaches,Hainanis set to become the country's largest free trade zone.

It also hopes to serve as a test area for some of Beijing's ambitious policies like fostering hi-tech industries and attracting international tourist dollars. CHINA remains at the forefront of the electric car revolution, with hundreds of homegrown electric automakers sprouting and ample government subsidies to push consumers into new energy vehicles.

Newenergy vehiclesinclude fully electriccars, as well as plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles, thegovernmentsaid.Hainan will start its replacement policy by requiring 100 percent of retiredgovernmentcars, public buses and taxis to be replaced with new energy vehicles. That will then extend totouristbuses, rentalcarsand light trucks.

Thegovernmentsaid the ban on private fossil fuel vehicles will ensure consumers replace gas guzzlers with greenercarsby 2030. It also laid out plans to build a larger electric charger and fuel cell filing network.