By staff reporter Liang Dongmei

(Caijing.com.cn) The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released new standards for the country's 'new energy' vehicles which classify some hybrid cars and electric cars as regular vehicles.

According to a statement on the ministry's website, the new standards divide current alternative energy technologies into three categories according to their different stages of development.

The three categories include start-up technology, which is still at the research level such as fuel cell vehicles; developing technologies, such as hybrid engines using lithium-ion batteries; and mature technologies which have achieved standardized mass production, such as lead-acid battery hybrid vehicles. 

Automakers are allowed to begin mass production of vehicles with developing energy technologies but vehicle sales are still subject to certain conditions.

Vehicles powered by mature alternative energy technologies will now be treated as conventional vehicles and will be produced and sold as conventional vehicles.

Currently, only hybrid passenger vehicles with nickel-metal hydrogen or lead-acid batteries and electric vehicles using lead-acid batteries are classified as vehicles using mature technologies, according to the MIIT statement.

The new standards will be in effect until the end of 2010 when they will be revised further, the ministry said.

Among China's domestic automakers, only Chery Auto and BYD Auto have launched "new-energy" cars with electric batteries using developing technologies according to the new standards.

The State Council, China's cabinet, earlier this year set a target for alternative-energy automobiles at 5 percent of total passenger vehicle sales by 2011, with each major domestic automaker offering at least one model.

For all types of vehicles, the government's sales target is 10 million units in 2009, with annual growth averaging 10 percent over the next three years.

The National Development and Reform Commission transferred part of its functions in regulating the auto sector to the MIIT when the latter was established in June 2008.

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Full article in Chinese: http://www.caijing.com.cn/2009-06-25/110189598.html