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Download Beijing plans to increase the number of taxis that run on natural gas from the current 99 to 2,000 by the end of July in a trial project to promote the use of clean energy in public transportation. Beijing now has 2,000 vehicles powered by natural gas, and that number is expected to be 10,000 by 2013, which will include 2,000 taxis, 3,143 city buses, and vehicles for some driving schools, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said. "Replacing traditional gasoline with natural gas in vehicles will greatly reduce pollution from fine particulate matter," said Xu Tong, deputy general manager of Beijing Gas Group. "The increase of natural gas consumption will greatly improve the city's air quality." A vehicle using natural gas can go as far as 500 km and is capable of meeting the demand of urban commuters, he said. The city will add more than 30,000 additional natural gas vehicles by the end of 2017 if the trial project is successful, the bureau said. A total of 7,000 natural gas powered public buses will be put into service by the end of 2017, the bureau said. Vehicles that use natural gas instead of gasoline can greatly reduce major pollutants in the air. Pollutants with particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers can be cut by 93 percent; nitrogen monoxide by 20 to 40 percent; carbon dioxide by 25 percent; and carbon monoxide by 50 to 70 percent. | 
