The levels of air pollution have not come down much despite allowing odd- and even-numbered cars on specific days which has eased pressure on roads.
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Automakers including Tesla Motors and Beijing Automotive Group’s electric vehicle subsidiary say they have seen an uptick in potential buyers asking about pure electric cars in Beijing because of the pollution – though many don’t dare leave home to do so.
“The city is blanketed in a thick, choking smog that has covered an area of North China the size of Spain and Beijing’s most famous landmarks have been completely obscured by the yellow haze”, Zhang Kai wrote according to a report by Independent. When municipal authorities announced the red alert on Monday evening, Solis, like many Beijing residents, was caught off guard.
Recent smog levels in Beijing hit 40 times the safe level, which must have been a horrifying experience for most residents. “We cannot leave the house, we cannot do anything, we can only stay at home, study at home, do everything at home”, said Zhao, whose mother, an architect, has been working from the family’s apartment in an affluent neighborhood in central Beijing. “The reality is that we have smog”, she said. Drawing on data from 1,500 stations in China, Taiwan, and South Korea, the study calculated that almost 1.6 million people die in China every year from illnesses created or exacerbated by the critically polluted air.
As of 12 o’clock at noon, the reading of PM2.5 – particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 microns that is hazardous to human health – was lowered to 26 microgram per cubic meter in the six downtown districts, falling at the best air quality level.
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. “But health is the most important for children, right?” He declined to give his name or other details. “We need a new level of transparency if we want to coordinate this regional pollution control”. “It was fast, wasn’t it?” he said, standing near the pumps without a mask on.
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“The pollution in Beijing is not just about our city”. If the red alert is issued often, local business activities could be negatively affected. “This is one example of working together to promote the progress of China, and shows the country can absorb constructive criticism and adapt”.
