It looks like Beijing‘s mayor is at it again. For those of you forgot, Mr. Qi recently signaled that Beijing would be curbing the use of coal. Now he has decided that all new taxis will be 100% electric. This policy is being undertaken to limit the amount of pollution in the atmosphere, and make Beijing a cleaner, greener place.
Taxis can be a huge source of pollution and the mayor knows this. From now on, all newly licensed taxis will have to be electric in Beijing. The pollution there is out of control, and the mayor knows it.
Unlike the United States, China is making investments in green technologies that will help them going forward.
Sadly, taxis are often overlooked when it comes to maintenance, and this leads them to pollute more than a normal vehicle. This is no secret and Mr. Qi is taking this problem by the horns.
While the current infrastructure in Beijing will struggle to accommodate this influx of green taxis, a policy like this is necessary. It will take as much as a decade to retire all of the current gas-burning taxis, so there is lots of time to roll-out a new system of charging stations.
This will be necessary, as the current electric taxis are under supplied when it comes to charging facilities. Currently the drivers complain that waiting for a charge can take days, and clearly this isn’t ideal.
Making big changes is never simple, we must congratulate the mayor of Beijing for having the will and foresight to make badly needed changes. In time all of the current struggles will be over come and we will enter into a new age where progress and pollution are no longer synonymous.
[via gas2]
