Electric cars subsidized

Beijingers will be able to buy subsidized electric cars from this year, municipal transport authorities announced Monday.

The municipal and central government are each offering a 60,000-yuan ($9,800) subsidy to people who buy electric cars after acquiring a license plate through the capital's lottery system, the Xinhua News Agency reports.

Wang Limei, general secretary of the China Road Transport Association, said the government's priority is to ease traffic congestion and promote environmentally friendly vehicles.

Some 600 electric taxis are already servicing six districts in Beijing. In July 2012, the State Council set a target of producing and selling 500,000 energy-efficient cars annually by 2015.