Beijing Is Preparing To Replace Its Entire Taxi Fleet With Electric Cars

The new program that will begin implementation this year will affect nearly 70,000 taxis in Beijing and is expected to cost around Rs. 130 crore (9 billion yuan). There's also the consideration that electric vehicles cost nearly twice as much as conventional cars. Though initially expensive, the plan will lead to long-term benefits such as a decrease in pollution and the development of the alternate energy vehicles industry.

It must be noted that Beijing added about 200 electric taxis to its roads in 2014. Unfortunately, drivers of these cars often battled with queues at charging stations. Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the National Passenger Cars Association, in an interview to NBD, said, "If Beijing can speed up the construction of charging facilities at the same time, it will yield significant results."