nhk's akihiro has the story. >> reporter: in beijing, the problem of air pollution is growing worse. a major source of the smog is the emissions from vehicles. >> translator: i think cars are responsible for most of the emissions in beijing. >> translator: if environmentally friendly cars catch on, i think the situation will improve. >> reporter: the pollution is prompting people to consider electric vehicles. beijing automotive group is one of china's five biggest automakers. it has ties with foreign companies such as daimler and hyundai. it is now stepping up its output of electric vehicles. this brand can produce 20,000 units a year. it has already sold 50 vehicles to a local taxi company and is setting up battery charging stations in the city. although the recharging process takes over six hours, the cars can run nearly 100 kilometers on a single charge. so far, electric vehicles have not caught on as much as in the west. >> translator: eco-friendly cars have only just arrived in china. so people don't know about them or they think they're expensive. >> reporter: the beijing auto