China's green energy initiatives are going into the fast lane.
The country, long one of the top polluters in the world, announced it would be joining the United Kingdom and France in phasing out internal combustion engines. The country said it would ban production of gas-powered vehicles by 2040. Regulators of the ban are currently working on a timeline to reach the 2040 goal, according to reporting at Bloomberg.
If China adheres to the timeline, it would become the biggest market to go all-electric for cars. The move would push manufacturers to switch production entirely to no emission vehicles. In 2016, it was reported that Beijing had some of the worst smog conditions ever recorded forcing car rationing to be imposed.
"The implementation of the ban for such a big market like China can be later than 2040,” said Liu Zhijia, an assistant general manager at China's biggest passenger car exporter, Chery Automobile Co. “That will leave plenty of time for everyone to prepare." Local manufacturers have already begun receiving subsidies for the manufacturing of the electric-powered vehicles according to Bloomberg.
Early this summer, Britain announced its 2040 no-emissions plan, joining France, which announced its plan weeks prior. The Brits will have 80 percent of its cars electrically powered in the coming decades.
About 2.5 million workers are in the solar power industry in China, according to CNN, while the U.S. has only 260,000 solar power jobs, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The China announcement is another step in the country’s continuous plans for renewable energy. CNN reported about 2.5 million workers are in the solar power industry in China, while the U.S. has only 260,000 solar power sector workers according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
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