China’s State Council has unveiled its Carbon Peaking Action Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, setting a target of having new energy vehicles (NEVs) account for 30% of the national auto fleet by 2030. Achieving this goal will require more than doubling the current NEV stock—43.97 million units at the end of 2025, or 12.01% of the total vehicle fleet. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) comprise 30.22 million of those units, representing nearly 69% of the NEV fleet.
The plan also stipulates that new energy commercial transport vehicles must make up 25% of their segment by 2030. It calls for accelerating electrification across public-sector fleets and in vehicles operating at construction sites, mines, ports and airports, while promoting the large-scale adoption of electric heavy trucks.
To support these targets, the action plan proposes expanding refueling and recharging infrastructure. This includes charging stations, battery-swap facilities and alternative fuel networks for green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol. Emphasis will be placed on key transport corridors—national expressways and highways with heavy freight volumes—aiming to establish zero-carbon road transport routes. The initiative also covers waterborne transport, with plans to develop zero-carbon waterways and promote vessels powered by electricity, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel and green methanol.
Beyond road transport, the plan outlines broader energy transition objectives. By 2030, carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP are to decline by 17% from 2025 levels, and non-fossil energy sources must represent 25% of total energy consumption. The country aims to install over 2.8 billion kilowatts of wind and solar capacity, bring nuclear capacity to about 110 million kilowatts and expand new energy storage to 300 million kilowatts, including 160 million kilowatts of pumped-storage hydropower.
Additional measures include establishing around 100 national-level zero-carbon parks and 500 zero-carbon factories, creating a national low-carbon transition fund to steer private investment, and mandating energy-efficiency upgrades in key industries such as steel, cement and petrochemicals. Officials say these actions will accelerate China’s shift from a coal-dominated energy mix directly toward a non-fossil-energy future.
Source: CNEV Post
