Frustrated with Beijing's driving restrictions that forced him to leave his car at home a day every week, Mr. Guo decided to do away with the inconvenience once and for all.
Last November, Mr. Guo forked out some 68,400 yuan for a Jianghuai electric car - a vehicle segment excluded from the driving ban - amid the Chinese capital's efforts to clean up its dirty air. "
"At least I wouldn't have to deal with the inconvenience any more, especially with kids around or in times of emergencies," he said. "I also saw it as doing my part to clean up Beijing's terrible smog problem. But after I but it, I also found many problems."
China, already the world's largest car market since 2009, claimed pole position for electric car sales last year with about 220,000 to 250,000 units sold, eclipsing sales of about 180,000 in the US, the market had grown 290% through October compared to 2014, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
The heavy pollution in China's crowded cities is what fuels the trending interest in plug-in vehicles. Officials are setting out to combat the pollution problem which has reached "red alert" status. Officials are aiming to increase the usage of alternatively fueled vehicles while limiting petrol-powered vehicles on the road.
In China, petrol-fueled cars are limited to staying parked on heavy pollution days. Electric and hybrid cars, however, have no limitation for the amount of time they can be on the road.
The government provides other incentives for drivers, as well. Government subsidies are generous and could save drivers thousands of dollars with their purchase. Local governments also offer free parking incentives, free car registration, access to carpool lanes and more.
This explosive growth on the back of government incentives - such as billions of yuan in subsidies and tax cuts - and crippling urban smog gave China the title of the world's largest market for the first time, a remarkable turnaround for the industry that sold a paltry 2,338 electric vehicles in 2011.
Under rules to limit pollution, cars are banned from Beijing's streets one weekday per week. But electric cars are exempt and also not required to be part of a license plate lottery system. Moreover, buyers of electric cars can get as much as 55,000 yuan in central government subsidies now.
The controversy has drawn attention to whether China's electric car sector can be commercially viable, throwing the spotlight on subsidies in particular, which while credited for giving the sector its initial boost, are now blamed for crippling it.
Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said to Xinhua News Agency last month that while China's new energy industry is not a late starter, it still lacks breakthroughs in high-end products and core technology. "A big reason is that carmakers rely too heavily on subsidies and fail to keep up their own spirit of perseverance and innovation," he noted.
"Because of the low battery, I almost stopped on halfway."Mr. Guo said.
When he went back home and drop by to pick his wife up, he found battery of the car just had 30%. "I had account, almost 1km use 1% of battery when the electric car is full of battery，so I think 30% is enough，but I was wrong."
When Mr. Guo drive 1km, it had use him 5% of battery. He use Baidu Maps to find public fast-charging station, but the nearest one was farther from his home. So he even close the automative and doesn't braking or step on the gas, drive slowly as far as he can.
“Except subsidies, government should be put towards research and development grants, such as improving battery life or raising the car's top speed, some suggest.” Mr. Guo said.
Sales of electric cars have quadrupled in 2015 in China and should continue to fly despite the announced end of generous government subsidies.
Green car sales more than quadrupled in 2015 with the market finally taking off after years of subsidies and preferential government policies, leading China to surpass the United States to become the world's largest market for electric cars.
China's finance minister, Lou Jiwei, announced last month that his country will cut existing incentives by 20% by the end of next year, 40% by the end of 2019, and will let them expire completely by 2021. After that, he says China will let the market decide which cars to build in order to meet the country’s emissions goals.
The government sees new energy vehicles, a catch-all for pure electric, hybrid and fuel cell cars, as a means for China's auto industry to catch up to foreign competition while also combating pollution that chokes many urban areas.
EV subsidies in China may be a thing of the past. The country that once thrived on top-down management programs has embraced the free market to help it increase the number of low and zero emissions vehicles sold within the country. Until now, China has offered generous subsidies to buyers of so-called "new energy vehicles." which are defined as anything that does not rely exclusively on an internal combustion engine. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electrics, and fuel cell cars are all included in the definition.
