Parking Regulations | Henan’s New Policy: Half-Price or Full Waiver of Parking Fees for New Energy Vehicles, and All New Residential Developments to Be Equipped with Charging Facilities

Recently, the General Office of the People’s Government of Henan Province issued a notice (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”) on the promulgation of the “Several Policies of Henan Province for Accelerating the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles.” The Notice sets forth 20 specific measures across four key areas: actively fostering a market for the promotion and application of new energy vehicles, creating a favorable environment for their use, further strengthening infrastructure development, and encouraging innovation in new energy vehicle application models.

Among these measures, addressing the charging concerns of new‑energy vehicle owners, the notice sets out provisions regarding land‑use guarantees for supporting infrastructure and the development of charging facilities in residential communities. Additionally, new‑energy vehicles benefit from policy support in areas such as parking discounts and priority access.

Charging: All parking spaces in newly built residential communities will be equipped with charging facilities for new-energy vehicles.

The notice stipulates, under the item “Accelerating the Construction and Renovation of New-Energy Vehicle Charging Facilities in Residential Communities,” that all newly built residential developments across the province must provide charging facilities for 100% of their allocated parking spaces, or reserve the necessary conditions for their future construction and installation. Housing and urban–rural development authorities at all levels are required to incorporate the relevant standards and requirements into building design and acceptance specifications; no acceptance procedures shall be processed for new residential projects that fail to meet the mandated charging‑facility provisions.

This also means that in new residential communities, all parking spaces will be equipped with charging stations for electric vehicles, reducing the frequency of residents having to leave their homes in search of a charger.

With such enviable benefits, what should older residential communities do?

The notice states that, For renovated parking spaces in older residential communities, at least 10% of the spaces must meet the requirements for installing charging facilities.

Standardize the fire safety requirements for charging facilities in residential communities, and require property management entities to actively cooperate with projects that meet these requirements by handling installation procedures in accordance with relevant regulations.

For owners who already have parking spaces and apply to install charging facilities, the property management agency shall provide convenient conditions for installation and promptly issue an installation opinion if the installation meets fire safety requirements; it shall not charge demand (capacity) electricity fees. If the property management agency refuses to issue the relevant opinion, the local county-level (city- or district-level) housing and urban–rural development department shall supervise its implementation.

Parking Fees: New-energy vehicles enjoy discounted rates for overnight parking.

Not only does it address charging issues, but the app also supports both parking and charging fee payments.

The notice states that preferential rates will be applied to parking and charging for new-energy vehicles. New-energy car-sharing vehicles parked in designated shared parking spaces will be exempt from parking fees. Parking fees for new-energy vehicles are reduced by 50% based on the local rate schedule, and parking in on-street spaces on municipal roads is free from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the following day. Localities are encouraged to provide electricity‑price subsidies for charging new‑energy vehicles.

In addition, with regard to charging costs, preferential policies will be implemented for the grid connection and electricity pricing of new-energy vehicles, and by the end of 2020, government‑guided pricing will be applied to electric vehicle charging and battery‑swapping service fees.

With regard to travel, the notice states that a policy prioritizing the access of new-energy vehicles in urban areas will be implemented. Municipal governments at or above the prefecture level will independently designate core zones on urban roads and, by adjusting parking fees for gasoline-powered vehicles within these zones, restrict their entry. Differential traffic management measures will be applied to new-energy vehicles displaying dedicated green license plates, while the classified management system for their road access will be refined. Additionally, road traffic monitoring equipment will be upgraded and modernized to facilitate the smooth movement of new-energy vehicles.

Parking Facilities: Promoting the Development of Public Charging Infrastructure for New Energy Vehicles

In terms of infrastructure, a reward policy will be implemented to support the development of ancillary facilities for new-energy vehicles, while ensuring land availability for such facilities and enhancing the level of intelligent charging services. The notice also sets out provisions to improve charging infrastructure at highway service areas across the province, promote the construction of public parking facilities for new-energy vehicles, and accelerate the development of urban logistics distribution centers.

With regard to advancing the development of public parking facilities for new-energy vehicles, the notice stipulates that all newly built public parking lots must be equipped with the necessary conditions for installing charging infrastructure, including pre‑installed electrical conduits and reserved electrical capacity. For existing parking lots undergoing renovation, the proportion of parking spaces fitted with charging facilities shall account for no less than 10% of the total number of parking spaces.

For newly constructed public parking lots and on‑street public parking spaces, at least 20% must be designated as dedicated shared parking spaces for new‑energy vehicles. Dedicated signage shall be installed to clearly identify these spaces, and their use by gasoline‑powered vehicles is prohibited. Any unauthorized occupation of new‑energy vehicle shared parking spaces by gasoline‑powered vehicles shall be subject to legal penalties.

Starting in 2020, the built-up areas of cities will gradually impose restrictions on the entry of fuel‑powered logistics vehicles.

The notice also stated that efforts will be made to actively foster the market for the promotion and application of new-energy vehicles.

In terms of specific measures, for example, all newly added buses and municipal sanitation vehicles in various localities must be new-energy vehicles. As for in-service gasoline-powered vehicles that fail to meet the national and provincial emission standards, key cities designated by the state and the province for air pollution prevention and control are required to complete their replacement within three years, while other cities must do so within five years.

With regard to taxis, all newly added taxis nationwide must be new-energy vehicles, and consumers should be encouraged to purchase models listed in the “Henan Province Key Model Recommendation Catalog for New-Energy Taxis.”

In the logistics‑vehicle sector, the deployment of new‑energy vehicles for last‑mile delivery is being promoted in urban logistics. Starting in 2020, built‑up areas in cities have progressively restricted the entry of fuel‑powered logistics vehicles, encouraging them to unload outside the city and use new‑energy logistics vehicles for distribution and last‑mile delivery.

In addition, the notice calls for accelerating the development of urban logistics distribution centers. Cities under provincial jurisdiction are required to plan and construct such centers near highway and major road access points into urban areas, while also upgrading supporting facilities—including charging stations and fueling infrastructure—and improving cargo‑distribution systems for logistics vehicles, thereby enhancing the capacity to ensure reliable logistics‑distribution services.

Exploring new models for the recycling and utilization of power batteries.

With regard to subsidies and incentives, the notice states that the scope of market applications for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be expanded, and relevant manufacturers within the province will be encouraged to intensify efforts to promote these vehicles and actively participate in the construction of national and provincial demonstration projects for hydrogen fuel cell vehicle operations. The provincial finance department will provide rewards at a specified rate, based on the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles put into operation under each project and the status of supporting infrastructure development.

It also supports new business models for operating new-energy vehicles, encourages new‑energy car‑sharing platforms certified by the provincial competent authorities to conduct operations across the province, and guides these platforms to adopt vehicle models recommended by Henan Province for new‑energy car sharing. Furthermore, it supports local automobile manufacturers in offering services such as ride‑hailing taxis, logistics, and municipal sanitation using new‑energy vehicles, while actively exploring innovative operational models. Localities are encouraged to formulate and implement supportive policies for new‑energy vehicle operations, and to promote the rental of new‑energy vehicles for major meetings and official activities held by Party and government organs and public institutions.

Regarding the widely‑watched issue of new‑energy vehicle battery recycling, the notice states that it will support automakers and related enterprises in innovating business models for power‑battery recycling and reuse, and encourage local governments to provide subsidies—up to a certain percentage—on investments in battery‑recycling service outlets and on the repurchased battery capacity.