Beijing bans higher emission vehicles

Beijing has banned high-emission vehicles in a bid to control recurring airpollution enveloping the city with a population of 21.7 million people. Light-duty gasolinepowered cars that fail to meet the National Emission Standard III will be banned from entering Beijing’s fifth ring on weekdays.

Substandard cars will also be taken off the road through annual inspections or spot checks. The Chinese capital currently requires new cars to comply with the “Beijing VI” emission standard, which is higher than the widely-used National Emission Standard V and equivalent to the Euro VI standard, the strictest in China.

Beijing’s 5.7 million vehicles produce 500,000 tonnes of various pollutants annually and account for 31 percent of locally-generated PM 2.5, a particulate matter associated with hazardous smog, making it the prime source of PM 2.5, according to the environmental authority.