The fight against air pollution in China will soon intensify as a statement posted on the National Development and Reform Commission’s website indicates that, starting July 10th, the country will issue permits allowing companies outside of manufacturing industries to develop and build electric vehicles only, Bloomberg reports.
These non-traditional companies must possess expertise in designing, testing, and assembling electric cars, including patents and intellectual property rights to core technology.
China is thus hoping to drive innovation and competition with investments from other sectors, much like Google and Apple are working on their own electric cars to challenge the top manufacturers in the U.S.