Shanghai (ZXZC)- China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) advises Chinese automakers to expand their shares in Russian new energy vehicle (NEV) market by lifting NEV exports to the country and stepping up marketing deployment and sales promotion, according to a research report the MOFCOM issued on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the ministry also suggests that Chinese carmakers should explore the cooperation on new energy vehicle (NEV)-related infrastructures with Russia, encompassing such projects as the construction of EV charging facilities, the improvement of pipe network and facility distribution, the energy supply to remote regions, and smart services.

Those efforts should be made on a basis of a sufficient argumentation, said the MOFCOM.

Haval F7, Haval H9 sold in Russia; photo credit: Great Wall Motor

By the end of 2020, the electric vehicle (EV) parc in Russia only reached around 6,300 units, representing a penetration rate of 0.01%, according to the report. Besides, the construction of EV-related infrastructures is still at the initial stage. As the “pioneer city of EVs”, Moscow plans to make the number of charging piles increased to only 600 by 2023, while mapping out the parking spots for EVs.

Despite the limited EV market size and immature infrastructure network, initial success was achieved in Russia's independent R&D of EVs. For instance, the Russian car manufacturer LADA launched an indigenous EV brand “Ellada”; Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University developed the “Kama-1” compact urban smart crossover of economy class and the “Zetta” compact EV platform.