Because China is the largest consumer and producer of cars, the trends in China’s auto market have the potential “to change the economic incentives for emerging technology development worldwide”.
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Some dealers say interest has increased by nearly a tenth. But there are no restrictions on electric vehicles.
Wang, who runs a Beijing food wholesale business, said the driving restrictions were yet another reason to think electric, noting the attraction also of government subsidies that would save him around 100,000 yuan ($15,560) on a new electric model.
Beijing authorities said these measures were “effective in slowing down the process of smog accumulation”.
Global oil prices sank previous year just as China was steering much of its 1.36 billion population to live in cities as part of the government’s campaign to raise incomes through urbanization. He said inquiries about the firm’s e6 pure electric model were up by 8-9 percent.
It was issued late on Monday and lasted until Thursday, and was the first time that China had declared a red alert under the system, which was adopted a little over two years ago. Posters on social media for the e6 carry a promotion offering free pollution masks for anyone visiting one of Li’s dealerships.
“Activate the green cleaning (system), make PM2.5 vanish in a puff of smoke”, the ad continues, referring to particulate matter that forms the smog.
Rapid industrial growth and auto ownership have led to surging levels of air pollution in major urban areas and Chinese researchers have identified the problem as a major source of discontent.
But this week, for many in the city, auto shopping is not on the agenda.
But instead of an environmental wake-up call, prospective buyers are considering electric cars in Beijing out of a newfound practicality.
Most of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating, particularly when demand peaks in winter, which is also the key cause of smog.
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Regardless of the electric auto market’s potential, Peter Ford, The Christian Science Monitor’s Beijing correspondent, describes the blinding pollution as an immediate threat.
