China to distribute exclusive license plates for electric cars in 12 cities

China will introduce green license plates for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in 12 cities on Nov. 20, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Friday.

The license plates will be expanded across the country in the first half of 2018, accelerating transformation of the automobile industry, said the MPS.

The first special license plate for new energy vehicles in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, was unveiled on December 1, 2016. [Photo: VCG]

The green license plates are attractive in cities like Beijing where the local government uses license plate quotas to curb congestion and smog.

A pilot program to issue special license plates for new energy vehicles began last year in five cities.

NEVs are well supported in China, with subsidies for buyers and expanding network of charging stations.

There are more than a million NEVs in China, with 825,000 being pure electric vehicles, according to the ministry traffic management bureau.