China is well known for the heavy pollution that rests over the countries sky line, caused by the reliance on coal and diesel engines which fuels the country. A new scheme released by the Chinese government this month, is looking how to combat the ever growing pollution problem the city - by offering a heavy incentive to turn the citizens to a green solution.
In an attempt to push consumer interest towards environmentally friendly transport, it has been decided that the 10% purchase tax will be waived for new models, which will last until the end of 2017. This gives citizens a good 3 years to get themselves using an alternative method of transport, after that the government may look at further ways to increase the use of electric cars.
The Chinese government has taken many steps over the past year to grow the EV market, from limiting the number of regular vehicles in certain cities, to extending the subsidy policy. None of which seems to have had that much of an effect.
The timing bodes well for Tesla and the likes, as the majority of electric car brands are either selling or intending to sell cars in the country. Either way, heavily polluted countries like China need to continue pushing their inhabitants to consider their methods of travel seriously. Hopefully over time with more incentives people will start considering their options. The Chinese government hopes that this time, a tax free incentive will be enough to get low emission vehicles taking over the roads in China.