100 electric cabs to help ease traffic pressure during CIFIT
A total of 100 pure electric taxis will hit the road in Xiamen, Fujian province to alleviate traffic pressure during the upcoming 2018 CIFIT, according to the launch ceremony held in the coastal city on Sept 2.
The 2018 CIFIT, short for the 2018 China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), is set to take place in Xiamen from Sept 8 to 11.
These new taxis will be environmentally friendly, boasting zero exhaust gas emission.
They can be either charged or replaced with a new battery, which saves on operating costs and brings convenience to the drivers.
"I have saved so much time and money with the electric taxi after driving the liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered taxi for a year," Shen Xinlong, a taxi driver, said at the launch ceremony.
Shen added that the LNG-powered taxi used to cost him more than 100 yuan ($14.64) a day to re-fuel, but now the electric taxi only costs him 55 yuan a day and it's also quick to replace a new battery, saving him the inconvenience of queuing up for recharging the battery during rush hour.
More than 500 electric taxis are expected to be put into service by the end of this year, according to Lin Rongsheng, general manager of Xiamen Public Transport Group.
Why Xiamen
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Xiamen is one of the most economically competitive cities in China and was one of the first Special Economic Zones on the Chinese mainland. As a vice-provincial city independently listed on the State development plan, it has provincial-level authority in economic administration and local legislative power. In 2010, the Xiamen SEZ was expanded to cover the entire municipality. Today, Xiamen is a modern and international port city.