In China, electric car sales are booming. As the haze thickens over China’s heavily populated and polluted cities, the country has seen an increase of more than three times the electric car sales from last year.
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By October 2015, more than 170,000 electric and hybrid cars were sold, more than five-fold what was sold last year. In Shanghai, future electric andhybrid car owners are on a wait list that is currently six months long, reports NPR News Dec. 14. The country is set to surpass electric and hybrid car sales in the U.S. by a great margin. According to Japan Times, sales are predicted to reach up to 250,000 plug-in cars sold for the year. The U.S. is only predicted to sell approximately 180,000 hybrid and electric vehicles.
The heavy pollution in China’s crowded cities is what fuels the trending interest in plug-in vehicles. Officials are setting out to combat the pollution problem which has reached “red alert” status. Officials are aiming to increase the usage of alternatively fueled vehicles while limiting petrol-powered vehicles on the road.
In China, petrol-fueled cars are limited to staying parked on heavy pollution days. Electric and hybrid cars, however, have no limitation for the amount of time they can be on the road.
The government provides other incentives for drivers, as well. Government subsidies are generous and could save drivers thousands of dollars with their purchase. Local governments also offer free parking incentives, free car registration, access to carpool lanes and more.
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