Hainan’s New Seaport is Experiencing Tickets and Electric Vehicle Load Issues
As the New Year holiday officially came to an end on February 17, Hainan’s New Seaport experienced a surge in travelers making their return journey, leading to a shortage of ferry tickets to Guangdong Xuwen Port. Electric car owners faced even more challenges as ferry tickets for electric vehicles have been queued until March 3 and are all sold out.
According to various news outlets, electric car owners have been reporting online since February 14 about the difficulties in securing tickets to cross the sea. Some car owners arrived at the port 5 hours in advance, while others waited in queues for up to 14 hours to board the ship. The situation has been especially tough for electric vehicle (new energy vehicle) owners, with some having to wait for up to six days.
The shortage of electric vehicle tickets is partially attributed to the “Ro-Ro Transport Operation Guidelines for New Energy Vehicles in the Qiongzhou Strait” issued by the Hainan Provincial Department of Transportation and Hainan Maritime Safety Administration. One regulation, in particular, states that shipping companies can only carry a maximum of 18 new energy vehicles per voyage, leading to the current difficulties faced by electric car owners.
This regulation has sparked criticism from both the public and experts. Han Lu, a senior car critic, posted a video suggesting that it may be better to avoid driving pure electric cars during popular time periods, as the current charging conditions in popular high-speed service areas are not sufficient to support large-scale pure electric vehicles to replenish energy.
The shortage of ferry tickets has also led some car owners to consider abandoning their vehicles and seeking alternative routes to return home. Mr. Guo, for example, was initially considering abandoning his car and leaving but was discouraged after seeing the skyrocketing ticket prices.
The situation has also sparked discussions on social media, with the topic “The first batch of people who drove electric cars home regretted it” topping the hot search list on Sina Weibo. Many netizens shared their experiences and concerns about the challenges of driving electric vehicles during peak travel times.
As the situation continues to unfold, authorities and transportation agencies are under pressure to address the ticket shortage and the challenges faced by electric car owners, especially during peak travel periods.