but environment minister nobuteru ishihara has expressed his concern. ishihara says building now thermal power plants or expanding existing ones will push up greenhouse gas emissions. >>> people in beijing are struggling through a cloud of smog. a major cause is automobile emissions and one way to tackle the problem is to introduce electric vehicles. 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