Beijing Converting to Electric Taxis

To help curb its air pollution problems, Beijing plans to convert the city’s entire taxi fleet to all-electric models over the next decade as vehicles are added and replaced.

The proposal is part of a draft program on air pollution control for Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding areas, reports China’s National Business Daily. Such cites as Shenzhen and Taiyuan have announced similar plans for their cab fleets.

The initiative, which is in synch with China’s “new energy vehicle” campaign, would cost about 9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion), according to government estimates. The number of EVs in China doubled last year to more than 600,000 units, making it the largest such market in the world.

Beijing has about 67,000 cabs, roughly five times the number operating in New York City. The Chinese capitol deployed 50 electric taxis in 2011 and grew the number to 1,000 by the end of 2013.

But fleet operators and owners balked at the high cost of such vehicles. In some cases, the EVs were more than three times that of conventionally powered models, Bloomberg News reports.

Recharging the vehicles also has been problematic. By 2014 Beijing had about 550 charging stations to accommodate 1,150 electric taxis, Bloomberg says. But it notes that the number of stations hasn’t kept pace in the last few years as private buyers increasingly opt for EVs. Some 51,000 new EVs were registered in the city last year.

Beijing’s electric taxis traveled an average 72 miles and required two charges per day, according to a study last year. As a result, some taxi fleets spent half their time charging, with a typical wait time of more than two hours. Additional charging stations are expected to be added in coming years to meet demand.