The streets of Beijing have changed dramatically within just a few years. The noisy, smelly thrum of traffic has been replaced by an unusual quiet for a megacity. Roads course with a stream of mostly electric vehicles, all with their distinct, green license plates.
This is not just a Beijing phenomenon. For those arriving in many of China’s major cities from countries dominated by gas-guzzlers, the quiet will be their first impression, said Li Shuo, director of the China climate hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
It’s like stepping into the future, he told CNN.
By any measure, China’s EV growth has been extraordinary. More than half of new cars sold are electric, putting the world’s largest automarket on a path to all but erase gas-powered cars over the coming decades. Last year, China’s EV sales soared to 11 million, a nearly 40% increase on 2023, according to data from UK research firm Rho Motion. It’s an “irreversible transformation,” Shuo said.
There are small towns in Japan sub 5000 right next to their shinkaisen bullet train
You’ve never been to rural Japan if you think they primarily use public transport.
Hell, even in the outskirts of Tokyo most people have cars and drive.
That said tho, there’s no excuse for urban city centers to not be walkable.
My experience was on the train line so I have major bias lol
Even in Europe most rural small towns I saw in, say, the Alsace region had a bus line at best but most used cars.