Nanjing is set to become an inspiration for other cities around China with regards to eco-friendly transport.
Leading Chinese manufacturer of energy buses Nanjing Golden Dragon Bus Co. Ltd. recently unveiled the world’s first hydrogen gas and electric hybrid bus that can travel up to 450km on one charge. With a total of 8,359 buses Nanjing’s electric and gas buses now account for slightly more than 50 percent of the total of 4,335.
Along with green buses and an plethora of public bikes offered to the Nanjing public, people may now use their mobile phones to rent an electric car if ever they tire of buses or bikes. Plans are underway to have electric cars available to the public to rent by Spring Festival. Each electric car will have a range of 158km and a price tag of a mere ¥7 for a half hour’s rental.
More battery powered four wheelers were unveiled last week at Nanjing’s Jinling library. on 20th September, 100 Geely K17 electric cars went on offer to the public to test drive for two months. After signing contracts with car dealers, drivers were given a total of two months to test their vehicles before paying. Users will be provided with recharge facilities free of charge.
Look out for more laughter on bicycles after Spring Festival as public bike users will no longer have to swipe their ID cards to release the bike; instead they may simply download an APP. Thus far Nanjing has built 1,509 public bike outlets that store and release 52,000 bikes.
Along with eco-friendly bikes, cars and buses, Lvbo Yuan on Nanjing’s metro line 10 became the first environmental protection subway station in China when it went into operation on 22nd September. The 4,000 square metre station showcases green living concepts, helping passengers become environmentally aware.
Dominating the transport scene in China, Didi Chuxing (private car pooling app) has just invested over ¥100 million in the start up OFO, China’s leading bicycle sharing app, for which the venture reportedly raised a further US$4 million in investment earlier this month, according to John Russell at TechCrunch. This technology has its routes in Peking University where it was developed in order to help students maximise bicycle usage on campus. “The startup has won over a robust user community across China, and has nearly 70,000 bikes shared every day among over 1.5 million users in 20 cities. Its daily rides number over 500,000”, The Peoples Daily reported.
Big eco leaps toward a greener China are definitely underway and with promises to clean up its act, severe pollution should become a fear of the past within our lifetime.
