Beijing to add 20,000 NEV license plates for car-free families

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Beijing plans to increase 20,000 NEV (new energy vehicle) license plates at one go in the second half of 2020, which will be all allocated to car-free families, according to the draft regulations released by Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

(BAIC EU5, photo source: BAIC BJEV)

This will be a favorable policy for those at the back of the line in winning a license plate. The newly-added license plates will be distributed on the basis of car-free household and credit sequencing, compared to the existing individual-based one. A “car-free family” that is engaged in the license application should be composed of no fewer than two persons—a main applicant and his family members which only refer to the spouse, children and parents. None of family members can hold a Beijing-registered small-sized passenger car license plate before the application. The main applicant, who applies for a car license on behalf of the whole family, will be considered as the possessor of the plate he obtains.

After a car-free family joins a public lottery, all family members and their spouses are not allowed to file for a new license. Once a family succeeds in gaining a license plate, none of the family members are qualified for another license distribution.

The license quota allocation being weighted towards car-free families is another bright spot of the newly-unveiled regulations. By setting a credit system particularly designed for family lottery applicants, car-free families will be given higher odds of winning than individual applicants in applying for non-NEV license plates.

Moreover, 80% of NEV plate quota (excluding those reserved for business applicants and commercial vehicles) will be allotted to car-free families in priority based on the credits they have earned.

A car-free family, which has more family members and lines up for longer period in lottery, will be afforded with more credits than others, thus will enjoy better odds of success.