Chinese all-electric car scores high on safety test

Beijing (CNS) -- The E30 pure electric vehicle (EV) produced by China's domestic car brand Chang'an Auto Global received a grade of five stars – or "very safe" – during an all-direction crash test at the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, China's most widely acknowledged crash test organizer and evaluator, in Tianjin on Wednesday.

Recently, EVs have become more attractive in China, yet remain a risky prospect due to safety issues aroused by the pioneering Chevy Volt and an under-regulated domestic market.

The test results may provide a market push for the E30 EV, which has already gained some publicity during large-scale new-energy car demonstrations staged by Chang'an in 13 countries since 2002.

By 2020, Chang'an plans to become the backbone of China's alternative-fuel car industry by building three hybrid electric models and two pure electric models, while achieving a sales record of 650,000 vehicles, 150,000 of which would be EVs.