With conditions forcing drivers to use headlights by mid-day, Beijing has become a frightening image of a society overrun by air pollution, and the adoption of EVs may not happen fast enough.
State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said the mayor of Dezhou, a midsized industrial city in the northeastern province of Shandong, could face more serious consequences if the situation there did not improve.
The first ever red alert issued by Beijing for smog is now lifted Thursday where sunshine penetrated through China's capital along with the presence of blue skies that replaced the thick, toxic haze that smothered the city for days.
"I'm considering (an electric car) as the new policy means electric cars aren't limited from driving on heavy pollution days while other types are", said Wang Chao, 26, sizing up electric vehicles at a BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK) (002594.SZ) dealership on Wednesday.
The density of PM 2.5, tiny and particularly hazardous airborne particles, averaged 74 microgrammes per cubic meter in the first 11 months this year, down by 16.6 percent from last year.
Officials from Hebei and Tianjin, which neighbor Beijing, were also at the press conference.
The alert in Beijing temporarily shut down construction sites, a rampant source of dust, banned private cars from roads, and required children to stay home from school.
Beijing Building Materials Group, a major producer of cement and other materials, closed several factories, according to an employee of its public relations department. Now, though, Beijing's environmental agency is using its Weibo account (in brief, China's version of Facebook) to show publicly who's responsible for the city's smoggy air.
They inspected 5,715 companies, of which 259 had failed to reduce or suspend production, the capital environmental watchdog said on Thursday. "There are enterprises that close while you check them and open soon after you leave", he said. In addition, the Chinese meteorological bureau also announced that it will have at least one or another two incidents of this type of heavy pollution in December, where the first one is expected to hit on Saturday.
Source: China's Smog Boom For Electric Cars?
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