Construction of parking‑lot charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations in Wuhan has entered the fast lane.

Wuhan is a veritable “City of Automobiles.” According to data provided by the Wuhan Municipal Public Security Traffic Management Bureau, as of… By the end of 2018, Wuhan’s motor vehicle fleet had reached 3.126 million, including 48,600 new-energy vehicles. However, the accompanying challenges of parking shortages and inadequate charging infrastructure have become increasingly pressing.

The people have their calls. I am confident that we will deliver. To address the challenges of parking shortages, as well as difficulties in charging and hydrogen refueling in Wuhan, the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government have set a target to add 300,000 parking spaces by the end of 2019, build a total of 200,000 charging stations (including those fully equipped for installation), and construct seven hydrogen refueling stations. To ensure the smooth implementation of these projects, in August 2018, Wuhan established a Leading Group for Parking Lot and New‑Energy Vehicle Infrastructure Development, along with a dedicated task force under its command, to coordinate and advance the city’s efforts in this area.

Since the establishment of the Municipal Command Center for Parking Lot and New‑Energy Vehicle Infrastructure Development, it has consistently prioritized strengthening foundational infrastructure, addressing critical shortcomings, and improving people’s livelihoods. Through dedicated efforts in public parking spaces, centralized charging stations, hydrogen refueling stations, and other projects vital to public welfare, the center has achieved remarkable results.

According to statistics, From August 2018 to August 2019, within one year of the city command center’s establishment, the city has built 535 parking sites with approximately 280,000 parking spaces, a total of 528 charging stations and 57,000 charging piles, along with 103,000 charging piles that are fully ready for installation. Additionally, two hydrogen refueling stations have been completed. By the end of this year, the city plans to add roughly 80,000 parking spaces, 40,000 charging piles (including those fully equipped for installation), and five more hydrogen refueling stations.

Mechanical modification + Smart management explores new approaches to tackle the challenge of parking shortages.

With facial recognition for parking, no‑reverse entry into the garage, and support for barrier‑free payment, the Wuchang Government Service Center’s smart multi‑level parking facility—where average vehicle retrieval takes just a few dozen seconds—has been operational since early this year. It even offers预约取车 (scheduled pick-up) in the future, turning what once seemed like scenes from a movie into everyday reality and making it far more convenient for residents to park while handling their business.

If the Wuchang Government Service Center’s intelligent multi‑level parking garage represents an upward‑looking strategy to maximize space, then the underground parking facility on Jiankang Road, located not far away, stands as a prime example of how underground space can be seamlessly integrated to address a range of urban needs. The facility is designed as a two‑storey public parking structure and is thoughtfully coordinated with local amenities such as a farmers’ market and a park.

The central urban area suffers from high population density, tight land availability, and a severe imbalance between parking supply and demand. Addressing the challenges of inadequate and poorly managed parking in this core district poses a significant challenge for the city’s command center. “We must maximize the efficient use of public resources and amplify the benefits of public services. By developing mechanized and intelligent parking facilities, we will deliver model projects and high‑quality developments, ultimately establishing our city as a national benchmark for parking management,” said a responsible official from the municipal command center.

Since Since August 2018, the municipal command center has actively coordinated with relevant functional departments and eight city‑level task forces. By rigorously implementing planned parking‑space allocation, making multifunctional use of idle and underutilized land, converting surface parking to multi‑storey structures in government agencies, enterprises, and public institutions, and standardizing parking spaces in older residential communities, the center has stepped up the construction of mechanical parking facilities, improved parking management, and alleviated parking shortages within its jurisdiction.

This is just one example of how Wuhan is tackling the challenge of parking shortages. According to a responsible official from the city’s command center, the acute parking difficulties reported by residents at schools, parks, scenic areas, and commercial districts are also being alleviated. At present, a number of primary and secondary schools—including Guobo No. 1 Primary School, Honglingjin Primary School, and Shipailing Middle School—are repurposing underground spaces beneath their playgrounds to build parking facilities. Meanwhile, preparatory work has begun on constructing parking lots at Zhongshan Park, Jiefang Park, Hanyang Zoo, and other sites. In addition, the “Technical Regulations on the Use of Underground Space in Newly Built Parks and Green Spaces in Wuhan” are about to be issued; going forward, newly built parks that meet certain size thresholds will be required to include public parking facilities in proportion to their area, making it more convenient for residents to drive and enjoy these recreational areas.

Wuhan City had previously planned a series of sites for parking‑lot construction; however, constrained by funding, land‑use issues, and resettlement challenges, the transfer of these designated parking‑lot parcels has proven extremely difficult, and to this day remains stalled. “Under planning” status. To expedite the implementation of planned parking structures, the municipal command center has, for the first time, included “standalone public parking garages” in the 2019 citywide performance‑assessment targets for all districts under the “building a moderately prosperous society in all respects” initiative. Quarterly coordination and oversight are being carried out to encourage each district to construct standalone public parking facilities on designated parking‑lot sites. As of now, among the city’s 27 standalone parking‑garage projects, six have been completed and put into operation, while the remaining projects are still under construction.

On September 12, construction officially began on the planned public parking garage at Meiyin Temple in Wuchang District. Located 1.5 kilometers from Wuchang Railway Station, the project will provide more than 200 parking spaces and, once completed, will help alleviate parking shortages around the station and among local residents.

The charging radius has been reduced to With a vehicle-to-charging-pile ratio of nearly 1:1, Wuhan ranks among the top cities nationwide.

At the charging station on Jinsha Road, located next to the Hubei Provincial Higher People’s Court, Mr. Wang drove his all‑electric sedan in to charge. He said he purchased an all‑electric vehicle relatively early; back then, charging infrastructure was still quite limited, and every time he needed to recharge, he had to search far and wide. “Back in the day, we had to rely on makeshift solutions,” says one driver. “But now things are much better—there are more and more charging stations, and one has even been built right near my home. I can charge my car while taking an evening stroll in Shahu Park, which is far more convenient.” Within a one-kilometer radius around Shahu Park, there are already over ten charging stations operated by companies such as TELD, Star Charge, and Wuchang Huanjian. In the central urban area, private‑car owners enjoy easy access to charging, and logistics vehicles in the new districts face no less convenience. In May this year, within the JD.com Central China (Wuhan) E‑commerce Industrial Park in Xinzhou District, Hubei’s largest new‑energy logistics charging station—the JD Logistics Wuhan Asia No. 1 Charging Station—began formal operations, built with investment from TELD. The facility features 100 DC fast chargers, capable of serving up to 500 electric delivery vehicles daily, and is equipped with rapid‑charging technology that fully recharges a vehicle in just two hours, ensuring high vehicle turnover efficiency. “Each all‑electric delivery truck saves about 120 yuan per day in fuel costs compared with a conventional diesel vehicle of the same payload capacity, translating into annual operating cost savings of over 43,000 yuan,” said a park official. Following the station’s commissioning, JD Logistics plans to accelerate the electrification of its delivery fleet, with nearly 200 new‑energy vehicles expected to be deployed across Wuhan by year’s end.

New energy vehicles offer clear environmental advantages. According to the “Technical Guidelines for Compiling Emission Inventories of Road Motor Vehicles” issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, taking buses as an example and based on their average annual mileage, Based on a 6,000-kilometer annual mileage, converting gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 34.92 kilograms per vehicle per year, particulate matter (PM2.5) by 2.64 kilograms, and PM10 by 2.94 kilograms. If a larger share of passenger cars were replaced with new-energy vehicles, the resulting energy-saving and emission-reduction benefits would be substantial.

“Stepping up efforts to build charging stations in Wuhan—a key project for improving people’s livelihood—is an essential safeguard for promoting the use of new‑energy vehicles and driving the transformation and upgrading of our city’s automotive industry, as well as a crucial component of our battle to protect blue skies,” said Xu Tao. To maximize the efficiency of charging infrastructure and ensure that charging stations are sited where they are most needed by residents, the head of the municipal command center conducted in‑depth field research. In light of the fact that operational vehicles account for the majority of new‑energy vehicles in our city, he adopted a supply‑side approach, aligning with residents’ travel patterns and formulating a strategic layout centered on “focusing on both ends while developing one hub.” This involves deploying charging stations at commuters’ origins and destinations, as well as at key travel hubs, while vigorously advancing the construction of demonstration‑grade charging stations. Additionally, by retrofitting existing parking facilities—such as those in older residential neighborhoods, shopping malls, and public parks—as well as government and Party institutions, and by installing roadside emergency charging points and centralized commercial‑area charging stations in suitable locations and near major business districts, the city is meeting the charging needs of new‑energy vehicle owners.

As of In August 2019, Wuhan had built 528 charging stations and nearly 60,000 charging piles. The first batch of over 4,000 on‑street temporary dedicated charging parking spaces had been marked, and pilot projects for roadside charging piles were launched in Jiang’an District. Centralized charging stations near commercial districts were also being piloted in Qingshan and Hanyang Districts. Meanwhile, according to data from the Municipal Public Security Traffic Management Bureau, the city now has nearly 70,000 new‑energy vehicles; from January to August this year alone, 16,870 new‑energy vehicles were added—nearly matching the total number originally planned for the four‑year period under the “Wuhan Implementation Plan for the Promotion, Application, and Industrialization of New‑Energy Vehicles (2017–2020).” The vehicle‑to‑charging‑pile ratio has approached 1:1. According to an analysis released in June by the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance, Wuhan ranks among the top cities nationwide in both its vehicle‑to‑charging‑pile ratio and total number of charging piles, with the average service radius of charging stations in the central urban area now reduced to within 1 kilometer.

Wuhan used in a short period of time Within one year, the city will achieve a dense network of charging stations across all districts, effectively addressing residents’ difficulties in accessing charging services. Moving forward, the municipal command center will vigorously promote the development of a citywide charging‑service app platform, and urge relevant authorities to integrate information on all public charging piles and stations into a third‑party monitoring and management system. By establishing Wuhan’s “single integrated charging network,” this initiative will enable government oversight of charging services, support operators with intelligent online operations, and provide citizens with convenient, nearby charging options for their journeys.

The hydrogen‑fuel‑cell vehicle industry has a promising future, and Wuhan has kicked off the construction of its hydrogen refueling stations ahead of schedule.

Located in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, the Xiongzhong hydrogen refueling station is Hubei Province’s first stationary hydrogen refueling station. Completed in November 2018 and put into trial operation, the facility has a daily hydrogen supply capacity of 1,000 kilograms, sufficient to fuel 200–300 hydrogen-powered buses or 700–800 passenger cars. A single bus can be fully refueled in about three minutes.

Going forward, scenes like this—where vehicles are refueled with hydrogen instead of gasoline—will become increasingly common in Wuhan. In line with national strategic plans, hydrogen energy and fuel cells will be developed as emerging industries and will serve as key pillars of the future automotive sector. In 2018, Wuhan formulated a proposed plan for the development of the hydrogen energy industry, aiming to become the “Capital of Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles” and outlining a timetable and roadmap for the sector’s future growth.

“As a critical link and essential supporting infrastructure connecting upstream hydrogen production and transportation with downstream hydrogen use in fuel‑cell vehicles, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations is a key guarantee for advancing Wuhan’s hydrogen‑energy industry roadmap and facilitating industrial transformation and upgrading,” said Xu Tao, Executive Deputy Commander of the Municipal Command Center. Given that hydrogen refueling stations are still a relatively new development in China—lacking both a clearly designated administrative authority and readily available best practices—their deployment has proven challenging. In response, the Municipal Command Center has conducted field visits to gain insights, coordinated internally, and simultaneously advanced project implementation while distilling lessons learned. As a first step, it has encouraged the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone and Jiangxia District to issue district‑level regulations governing the construction of hydrogen refueling stations. At the same time, the command center is actively pressing the municipal government to promptly designate a city‑level administrative body and promulgate city‑wide management measures for hydrogen refueling stations.

At present, Wuhan City has completed the construction of… Two hydrogen refueling stations are already in operation, with five more under construction. By the end of 2020, the city will have a total of 11 hydrogen refueling stations, making it the fourth-largest hydrogen‑refueling hub in China, after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong.