Source:
https://scmp.com/article/985392/dont-give-green-vehicles

Don't give up on green vehicles

If any place seemed like a market for the development of electric cars, it had to be China. It has the biggest population, the fastest-growing car market and horrendous air pollution - attributed partly to petrol engines. As well, American billionaire investment guru Waren Buffett has bought a big stake in BYD, the mainland's biggest electric-car maker; BMW has tested an electric version of the Rolls-Royce on Rolls owners, industry specialists and the media in China; and the government has set up a 100 billion yuan (HK$122.6 billion) fund to develop green vehicles.

Alas, the mainland public remains unconvinced about electric cars. Customers have shown no willingness to buy them, even with a 120,000-yuan subsidy under an experimental scheme introduced two years ago in 13 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. And according to the vice-chairman of the National Energy Advisory Committee, Professor Zhou Dadi , those who bought one have complained of inconvenience caused by short battery life and many unsolved technological problems. This mirrors the American sales experience, with electric and hybrid cars expected to account for just 0.1 per cent of light vehicle sales this year.