Electric cars charging ahead

As the authorities continue building the necessary infrastructure, electric vehicles can be expected to become increasingly popular in the coming years, which will help promote a greener economy by saving energy and reducing emissions.

In a guideline for the development of charging facilities for new-energy vehicles issued on Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, set out concrete and practical steps for popularizing the use of electric-powered vehicles.

The guideline says that the parking lots for newly built residential communities must be equipped with charging posts, and fast charging for inter-city transport will be first realized in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the Yangtze River and Pearl River deltas, the three regions that usually suffer the most from smog.