China Aims to Be No. One Maker of Electric Cars
Thursday, April 02, 2009 3:10 PM
China has announced it intends to become the leading manufacturer of hybrids and all-electric cars.
Already behind Japan and the United States in making gas-powered vehicles, China is turning its liability into what it hopes will be an opportunity by jumping over the current technology and diving into the next, reports today's New York Times.
Japan is the current leader in hybrids with the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, while the United States has limped behind. General Motors' Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid, is expected to be in showrooms next year.
China says it wants to not only create jobs and produce exports, but also cut pollution and lower its dependence on foreign oil.
Taxi fleets and local governments in 13 Chinese cities are being offered subsidies of up to $8,800 for every hybrid or all-electric vehicle they buy. Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin are setting up car charging stations with its state electricity grid.
The latest models of electric cars in China sport a top speed of 60 miles an hour and a range of 120 miles between charges. That's not much of a problem since most commutes in China are short and low-speed, due to traffic gridlock. Plus, first-time buyers, who comprise 80 percent of the market, aren't used to powerful, gas-powered vehicles. 
But most Chinese live in apartments without driveways, so the Chinese would need to create more public charging centers.
Pictured on this post are two Chinese electric cars.
China says it wants to produce 500,000 hybrid or all-electric cars and buses by the end of 2011. Japan and South Korea combined are expected to produce 1.1 million hybrid or all-electric vehicles by then; and North America 267,000, according to a forecast by CSM Worldwide, an auto consulting firm.