City of "baby buses" offers glimpse into China's NEV popularity

NANNING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Visitors to Liuzhou in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region may be impressed by the industrial city's colorful motley of small-sized new energy vehicles (NEVs), fondly nicknamed by locals as "baobao bashi," or "baby bus."

Around half the size of a common passenger car, the "baby buses" serve as police vehicles, wedding cars, and trunk shops in night markets. Some are shared vehicles that can be rented for 10 yuan (about 1.4 U.S. dollars) an hour.

The "baobao bashi" refers to Hongguang MINI EV and other electric vehicles produced by the locally-based SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors, and Liuzhou Wuling Motors.

The mini-cars have grown in popularity partly because of their affordability, with the cheapest version priced at 30,000 yuan. They can travel from 120 km to over 300 km on a single charge that costs between 6 yuan and 38 yuan, much lower than that of gasoline-powered vehicles.

They are also credited for providing a solution to urban traffic problems like parking and logjams. The mini-sized vehicles can ply smoothly in narrow alleys and occupy half the space of a standard parking slot.

Lin Qiujun, an official with Liuzhou's development and reform commission, said the government has been promoting the use of "baobao bashi," which emits no exhaust and is deemed more environmentally friendly.

Liuzhou has built more than 17,000 charging piles and is offering free parking spaces for the NEVs. Some government units also rent "baobao bashi" as official vehicles, according to Lin.

Nationwide, the NEVs are leading automobile consumption for their lower charging prices and reduced carbon footprint. In the first half of 2023, China's NEV sales surged 44.1 percent year on year to almost 3.75 million units, compared with a 9.8 percent rise in total automobile sales, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

The country, which aims to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030, has promised to extend the preferential purchase tax policy for NEVs to the end of 2027 and continue to improve related infrastructures.

China built more than 1.44 million charging piles in the first half of 2023, of which 351,000 are public charging piles. By the end of June this year, the number of charging piles in China was over 6.6 million, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The company that produces the "baobao bashi" is now eyeing a bigger foothold in the overseas market. Wuling Air EVs, one type of the "baobao bashi," have entered the Indonesian market and served the G20 summit in Bali in 2022.

Wang Pulin, brand manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling, said the company has built a vehicle manufacturing plant, a supplier park for auto parts, and more than 140 sales and service outlets in Indonesia.

Earlier this year, SAIC-GM-Wuling and the Indonesian government signed a memorandum of understanding to expand investment in Indonesia and introduce more NEVs to the local market, said Wang.