[SMM Hydrogen Policy Update] Hunan Provincial People's Government Office: Releases NEV Penetration Rate Enhancement Plan, Hydrogen Refueling Stations and Other Energy Supplement Facilities Become Key Construction Focuses

On September 26, 2025, the General Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government issued the "Hunan Province Action Plan for Accelerating the Improvement of the New Energy Vehicle Penetration Rate (2025–2026)," focusing on the promotion and application of NEVs and industrial upgrading. It explicitly proposed accelerating the construction of energy replenishment facilities such as hydrogen refueling stations. The core contents are as follows:

I. Core Action Targets

The core objective is to narrow the gap with the national NEV penetration rate, advancing in phases:

• By the end of 2025, the gap between the provincial NEV penetration rate and the national average is expected to narrow to within 6%.
• By the end of 2026, the aim is to reach the national average NEV penetration rate.

II. Four Key Action Tasks

(1) Consumer Environment Optimization Action

1. Innovating Sales Models: Automakers are encouraged to develop products suited to local scenarios, explore diversified sales models such as leasing instead of purchasing and battery-swapping, and expand ecological cooperation.
2. Improving the Service Network: Promote the establishment of delivery centers and authorized after-sales service sites at the county level and in remote areas, carry out after-sales services in rural areas, and address shortcomings in grassroots services.
3. Extending the Consumption Chain: Standardize the used car market, strengthen battery recycling and leasing management, and enhance the residual value of NEVs.
4. Strengthening Financial Support: Increase credit supply, introduce low-down-payment, long-term financial solutions tailored to younger groups, and optimize NEV insurance services.

(2) Commercial Vehicle Replacement Action

1. Public Sector Replacement: Focus on promoting the application of NEVs in public sectors such as buses, taxis, sanitation, and freight delivery, and support key cities for air pollution prevention and control in taking the lead in replacing vehicles in urban construction logistics.
2. Truck Transformation Incentives: Using the phase-out of trucks meeting National IV and lower emission standards as a breakthrough, implement provincial fiscal support and introduce preferential expressway toll policies for new energy trucks.

(3) Energy Replenishment Facility Enhancement Action (Including Key Construction of Hydrogen Refueling Stations)

1. Urban Residential Charging Convenience: Implement "unified construction and service" for charging piles in residential areas, provide one-stop services for car purchase, electricity connection, and pile installation, and simplify the application process.
2. Public and Dedicated Facility Support: Improve supporting policies for land use, power grid, and electricity prices for dedicated energy replenishment facilities such as those for buses and trucks, and encourage private capital participation in construction.
3. Energy Replenishment Network Construction at Transportation Hubs: Accelerate the planning and construction of a batch of large power charging (battery swap) stations and hydrogen refueling stations in key areas such as expressway service areas, logistics parks, ports, along major logistics corridors, and national and provincial highways.; Promote the renovation and expansion of eligible gas (CNG/LNG) stations into comprehensive energy supply stations offering "fuel (gas) + charging (battery swap)" services.
4. Full Coverage of Rural Energy Replenishment: Incorporate charging piles into the "Village Access Project" to achieve full coverage of charging stations in every township and charging piles in every village, promoting the integrated development of energy replenishment facilities with PV systems, parking lots, and others.

(IV) Enhanced Support Policy Actions

1. Leveraging Fiscal Funds: Coordinate special funds from the central and provincial levels to implement trade-in and car-to-countryside policies, carry out NEV sales promotions, explore charging consumption subsidies, and encourage municipalities and prefectures to issue car purchase subsidies.
2. Traffic Priority and Parking Incentives: Encourage municipalities and prefectures to grant NEVs traffic priority on core urban routes, along with benefits such as extended operating hours and parking fee reductions in public areas.

III. Safeguard Measures

Establish a dual-led working mechanism by the Provincial Development and Reform Commission (Provincial Energy Bureau) and the Provincial Department of Commerce, coordinating multiple provincial departments for collaborative advancement; require local governments to refine measures and ensure implementation, while intensifying policy publicity to eliminate misconceptions and foster a social environment supportive of NEV development.

This plan is expected to include hydrogen refueling stations as key components of energy replenishment facilities in transportation hubs, advancing them in coordination with charging (battery swap) stations. This will effectively address the energy replenishment challenges for NEVs (particularly hydrogen-powered vehicles), providing solid support for increasing the NEV penetration rate and transforming the energy structure in Hunan.