Back in June, the Chinese government increased the price of gas by an astonishing 16.7-percent overnight in an effort to pass the increased price of oil to its consumers. Since then, the Olympics have come and gone and the city of Beijing has instituted measures to improve the city's air quality.

Included in the city's efforts are higher taxes for large cars and lowered taxes for hybrids. The city is also attempting to limit the automotive traffic on its crowded city streets. Now, the city has again raised the price of both gasoline and diesel fuel by 2-4%. This price increase not only continues to bring fuel prices in China closer to those of the rest of the world, but also allows the government to use fuel that meets the current Euro IV standard. Since March of this year, Beijing has banned the sale of all cars that don't meet those same emissions standards, and they will soon have the fuel to match. By the way, the image on the right is the word "Beijing" in Chinese. Thanks, Wikipedia!

[Source: Gasgoo]

Chrysler's much ballyhooed deal with China's Chery Motors to build small cars hasn't yielded much of value for the Auburn Hills manufacturer yet. Chrysler offers a Dodge-branded version of the Chery A1 in South America, but no new cars have emerged yet. It looks like Chrysler may now be working with a new Chinese partner to build an A-segment car. Great Wall has been better known up to now for building cars with a startling resemblance to models from other manufacturers, such as the first generation Scion xA and xB. Chrysler staff are reportedly working with Great Wall to produce a micro car for Chrysler to be sold world-wide. Fans of the original xB probably shouldn't get their hopes up though. Selling this model outside of China probably wouldn't sit well with Toyota.

[Source: China Car Times]

During and before this summer's Olympic games, a significant amount of attention was given to the air quality that the world's top athletes would be breathing in Beijing. As was widely reported, the city's air was highly contaminated due to an abundance of people, manufacturing plants and automobiles. As you are likely aware, the city limited the number of cars that could be on its roads before and during the games and is set to continue the practice now that attention has turned away. The largest improvement is expected to come from limiting the number of new car sales in the city. Only 100,000 new license plates will be granted annually, which will have the undesirable effect of running half the city's auto dealerships out of business. To help counter the expected problem, mass transit and bus routes will be upgraded.

As another measure, the city will take 30-percent of cars owned by its own government off the road as well, sealing them up "for safekeeping." What's more, the city vehicles that are left will be banned from the roads one out of every five days. Emergency and police vehicles won't be included in that ban. These measures should help the city keep the clean air it fostered while the world was watching.

[Source: Gasgoo]

Warren Buffett is renowned for making money buy investing in companies that he thinks have a some inherent value and holding the stock. So when he or his flagship company Berkshire Hathaway put money down, it's worth taking note. MidAmerican Energy Holdings, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, has just bought a 10 percent stake in BYD, a Chinese purveyor of cars and batteries. So far, BYD has been best known for a for several cars that draw strong styling "influence" from cars produced by other non-Chinese companies. Lately, the company has been showing several electric and hybrid cars, some of which were on hand at this year's Detroit Auto Show. That move into the electric drive field and development of lithium ion batteries is evidently what attracted MidAmerican. Recently, BYD has been trying to break into the Israeli market to compete with Project Better Place.

[Source: MidAmerican Energy Holdings]

The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has quickly risen in a few short years to become the largest electricity transmission and distribution company in the world and plans to create a nation-wide electric-vehicle charging network. They had previously set up the infrastructure to charge the 55 lithium ion buses and over 400 other electric vehicles that served the athletes and staff of the Olympic Games. The ambitious company has now directed its subsidiaries to "speed up" the installation of charging stations in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and other cities that will serve as pilot programs. Once the bumps are smoothed out and the official "OK" is given, the plan is to forge ahead with the rest of the country.

That should be good news for the equally ambitious Chinese auto maker BYD Auto, which has plans to soon begin selling its plug-in hybrids and electric cars at home as well as abroad. China's Minister of Science and Technology, Wan Gang, who is said to be an "expert" on electric cars expects 1,000,000 "new-energy vehicles," mostly comprised of electric cars, to be cruising the highways and byways of the nation and comprise as much as 10 percent of car sales as early as 2012. Sounds great! Now, what's our plan?

[Source: Gasgoo]

Upstart Chinese automaker Chery is getting ready launch production of its first hybrid in October. The A5 hybrid sedan is targeted at the low end of the market. As such, it uses a less expensive mild hybrid system rather than a strong hybrid like the Prius. The A5's mild hybrid, which was developed with powertrain consultant Ricardo, provides a 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Earlier this year, Chery built a 50-vehicle test fleet of A5 hybrids that was loaned to Olympic officials during the Beijing games. Chery has not revealed technical details of its system, or how much it plans to charge for the hybrid, but it's expected to run somewhere around $600-1,200 more than the conventional version.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Over the last few years, there has been an amazing influx of Chinese motorcycles, scooters and all terrain vehicles. Many of the products coming in from overseas have a horrible record for quality, but there have been a few gems along the way as well. With this in mind, our eyes were drawn to an article on Automotive News regarding a new Chinese company we were not yet familiar with. Though we've become accustomed to finding these manufacturers on scooter forums and news sites, it is still rare to see them in the mainstream automotive media. We have no way of knowing what kind of quality its vehicles are, but Zhejiang Kangdi Vehicles Co. may be making some inroads into the U.S. market with its line of two, three and four-wheelers in both gas and electric versions. The company appears to be calling itself Kandi. A Seattle company is importing the vehicles and fifteen franchises have already been purchased.

We took a look at the company's web site and we see some of the normal scooters and motorcycles. We also see some carts with an eerie resemblance to the smart fortwo. One model really caught our attention -- a three-wheeled scooter powered by what appears to be the ubiquitous GY6 150cc engine and CVT transmission. We'll see if Kandi vehicles come up any more in the coming weeks and months. It's just as possible that we never hear the name again. Will Kandi begin offering EPA-certified vehicles? Stay tuned.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

There sure are lots of two-wheelers coming from China these days. Still, there are plenty that stay in China and are ridden by those who can't quite swing the cost of a car or its fuel. Many of these mopeds, scooters and motorcycles are powered by gas, but there is a growing number of electric two-wheelers in China as well. Oddly, in Yungang district, Shenzhen, all two-wheeled vehicles have been banned - gas, electric, whatever. So, why is that? Is it due to the environmental impact of old machinery or are just there too many? No and no. It seems that there were a rash of crimes being committed where the perps got away on motorcycles. The unique solution is to confiscate any and all two-wheelers, gather them up into huge piles and crush them with bulldozers. Yeah, that'll do it. The results? Besides making it much more difficult for tons of people to get around, motorbike robberies are down 58.32 percent this year and China has another eco disaster on its hands.

[Source: DANWEI via The Scooter Scoop]

While we impatiently await the announcement from BYD (Build Your Dreams) that their hybrid and electric cars are ready for international markets, the Chinese company has announced that its fuel-frugal F0 is now for sale. Originally referred to as the F1 (the name was changed to avoid legal conflict with the Formula 1 racing league, though its Toyota Aygo-imitating looks were not), the F0 is a low-cost 1 liter-engined car they expect will help them meet their 2008 unit sales target of 200,000 vehicles. Priced at 45,800 yuan ($6,711), the Aygo F0 should be an attractive choice for many Chinese families in the face of rising gasoline prices. BYD claims its 67hp engine gets 4.2 l/100km (56mpg U.S.) from its 3 cylinders pumping all that fury through a 5 speed manual. With low prices come low profit margins, though, and BYD expects to only make about 1,000 yuan ($146) on each car.

[Source: Gasgoo / BYD]

We're no strangers to Chinese automaker BYD and its upcoming models of electric and hybrid cars. What's new is the claim that BYD is going to start selling the world's cheapest hybrid, with prices starting at just ¥100,000 (RNB) which is around $14,000 U.S. The model will be called BYD F3DM, with DB standing for Dual Mode, once it reaches the showrooms. BYD also announced a potential full EV version of the F3. The all-electric F6 is, however, still set to production. Specifications for this model haven't been released, although it's known that the car will be available with a different array of powertrains. We're still waiting for information on when the car will be actually on sale.

[Source: China Car Times via Autoblog en Español]

China has produced its first hybrid electric-diesel locomotive, the JT56ACe. The high powered diesel-electric model was jointly manufactured by CNR Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co. (DLoco) and USA-based Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., (EMD, formerly a GM company). It's got a 6,000 hp diesel engine and its manufacturers claim that it's the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly locomotive in the world. It features dual isolated driver's cabins, low exhaust emissions, electronic fuel injection, AC traction drive system, microcomputer control system. The JT56ACe can pull up to 5000 tons (metric) with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75mph). EMD and CNR have agreed to build 300 of these locomotives for the Chinese Ministry of Railways.

[Source: EMD]

Nearly a year ago, we first laid eyes on a hydrogen-powered moped from the Shanghai Pearl Hydrogen Power Source Technology Company. Although the machine had, um... questionable aesthetics, we were impressed by its 60-mile range at 15 miles per hour and relatively low $2,600 price tag. According to a report on Shanghai Daily, 30 of the hydrogen-fed units have already been exported. By 2011, the Chinese manufacturer hopes to be building 1,000 units per year for sale both in China and abroad. Considering that many electric two-wheelers already cost more than the hydrogen-powered ebike from Shanghai, there could be a real market for these vehicles, though the hydrogen fueling infrastructure is most definitely still in its infancy.

Other brands, such as Suzuki and Intelligent Energy, have plans to introduce hydrogen-powered fuel cell cycles of their own. Both the Crosscage and ENV, though, would surely cost significantly more than their Chinese counterparts.

[Source: Shangai Daily via Faster and Faster]

Click on picture for high-res image

If you hadn't noticed, the Olympic Games in Beijing are being celebrated these days. MINI decided that it was a good opportunity to mix Chinese traditions with British German craftmanship and so they sent a MINI Clubman to be cut in half and made a rickshaw. Yes, not a lot of horsepowers, but human legpower moves the MINI rickshaw around the Hu Tong district in Beijing. The vehicle is finished with all sorts of amulets and decorations to bring good luck to the rider, and liberate some positive energy during these Games. What we can't deny is that human power is actually greener than an ICE engine. Oh, wait, didn't somebody challenge that statement?



[Source: BMW]

With the world intently watches the Olympic Games currently taking place in Beijing, China, the country's policy-makers are concerned with the quality of the city's air. As has been widely reported, Beijing took drastic measures to ensure that its air quality was safe for the world's best athletes, including cutting its traffic in half through unique licensing measures. But, what is to happen after the games are through? Will the city revert back to its previous emissions-spewing ways? That's the question that's on both the minds of both the outside world and Chinese officials themselves. In order to promote the sale of smaller, more efficient vehicles, the country's Finance Ministry has decided to raise its taxes dramatically on vehicles with engines larger than 4.0-liters, with a slightly smaller but still significant increase on cars with engines between 2.0 and 4.0-liters. On the flip side, cars with engines displacing less than 1-liter get their taxes dropped by a third to just 1-percent. The hope is that consumers will choose to purchase cars with smaller engines, as there is rapid growth in both the large car and SUV market segments.

[Source: Elaine Kurtenbach / Associated Press via The Detroit News]

To help China with its goal of hosting a "green olympics" the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has donated four lithium ion battery-powered buses for the effort. That brings the total number of electric buses in the Olympic fleet to 50. They are said to be able to carry 80 people at a time at speeds of up to 50 mph.and have a range of about 80 miles with the air conditioning engaged.The electric buses will use a large station during the games for parking and transfers as well as maintenance and battery charging. No word was given of the recharge times although we estimate the battery packs themselves to hold 130Kwh of energy.

The official buses are painted blue and green with the Olympic logo and will shuttle athletes between the Olympic Village and the Olympic Sports Venues. After the two weeks of athletic contests are completed the vehicles will officially enter the Beijing transportation system where they can officially carry people quietly about the city for (hopefully) years to come.

[Source: Gasgoo / UNDP China]