Mrs. Xu's Tesla Model X has a small claim to fame as the first car in the Jiangsu city of Wuxi to be fitted with a new license plate for new energy vehicles.
The pilot scheme is part of a wider program across several Chinese cities including Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan, and Shenzhen that aims to reduce energy consumption and promote environmental consciousness.
Mrs. Xu was certainly excited about owning the first car with the new plate.
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Mrs. Xu, the first person in Wuxi to receive one of the new license plates, poses for a photo beside her car on Dec 1. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
"This is a new car that my company just bought. It is really lucky for me to come across the first license plate."
The new plates are colored green, contain an extra digit, and are 40mm wider than conventional blue plates. Vehicles included in the new energy vehicle category include battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.
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Special license plates are being produced for new energy vehicles in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Wuxi citizens with an eligible vehicle can apply for a special license plate either by visiting the vehicle management registration site at No.3 Liangnan Road, or via the online platform at wux.122.gov.cn, or through the smartphone app Jiaoguan 12123.
Wuxi's inclusion in the program reflects the citywide development in terms of its economy and information technology. Furthermore, Wuxi is suitable given its status as a manufacturing hub with a solid foundation in the field of producing core auto parts for leading companies.
Another factor that has led to Wuxi's selection is its strong performance in smart traffic. The city has capitalized on its strength in information sharing, communication infrastructure, big data, and IoT application and has become a pioneer in smart city construction. The city's implementation of monitoring traffic flow systems and electronic ID cards are two such examples.
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An employee of the Wuxi vehicle administration department installs a plate on an electric car in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, on Dec 1. [Photo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Sun Yuhua, a senior figure in Wuxi's urban vehicle management, believes the city has performed well in the promotion new energy vehicles. In 2015, the city added 858 new energy vehicles and to date more than 3,000 new energy vehicles are registered.
