Shenzhen has just launched a fleet of 30 electric taxis, which are reported to be the first batch of all-electric taxis ever put into the market.

The E6 taxi, which is upplied by Chinese auto manufacturer BYD to Shenzhen Pengcheng Taxi Company, features a "green chip" battery developed by BYD, which makes them free from carbon emissions. The taxi consumes about 21.5 kilowatt hours of electricity for every 100 kilometers, at about one third or even one quarter of the fuel cost for a conventional taxi. In addition, with a 3C charger it only takes a couple of hours to charge the taxi using domestic voltage.

Passengers using the new taxis will no longer need to pay a CNY2 fuel surcharge.