Emphasising its efforts to address issues such as environmental pollution and energy security, the Chinese government initiated a pilot programme earlier this year to promote clean-energy vehicles in the public-transport sector in 13 cities. Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province in central China, has been selected as the first city under a memorandum of understanding signed by Nissan and China’s ministry of industry and information technology.
Nissan did not disclose any financial details or the number of electric vehicles it will supply to Wuhan. Electric vehicles are meant to be cheaper to run than regular cars and to reduce overall emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common of the greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
Two Chinese automakers, BYD Auto and Chery Automobile, also have sought to tap potential demand for clean energy cars.
Vehicle sales in China surpassed those in the United States in January and climbed to a record level in March. The growth was helped by government incentives to bolster demand in both urban and rural areas, according to official data.
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