The world's first taxis with easily replaceable batteries hit the streets of the Japanese capital Monday in a government-funded experiment.

The purpose-built cars that can run on easily swapped batteries -- rather than wait to be recharged or switch to other fuels -- were launched in Tokyo by Japan's energy agency.

Three cars based on the Nissan Dualis will operate as normal taxis on the city's streets during the 90-day experiment, a joint project with Better Place, a US firm specialising in providing electric vehicle infrastructure.

"Tokyo can become the capital of electric vehicles," said Kiyotaka Fujii, president of the Japanese unit of Better Place.

Ordinary Tokyo taxis can clock up as many as 300 kilometres (186 miles) a day, the company says, and the city is by far the world's largest taxi market with 60,000 cabs -- more than New York, Paris and London combined.

While taxis represent only two percent of all passenger vehicles in Tokyo, they emit about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) from vehicles.

"By building a good business model, we believe this technology can have a significant impact on the economy and society," Japanese energy agency official Minoru Nakamura told a press conference.

earlier related report
Green highlights Beijing auto show
Beijing (UPI) Apr 26, 2010 - Nearly 100 of the 990 models on display at Beijing's "Imagining the Green Future" auto show opening Tuesday are alternative-energy autos.

There's a lot of green vehicle potential in China, which has surpassed the United States as the world's biggest auto market and is also the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide.

A survey by consulting firm Ernst & Young released in advance of the exposition indicates that 60 percent of Chinese asked said they would consider purchasing plug-in hybrid and electric cars in the near future. That's almost five times more than responses from similar surveys conducted in the United States and Japan.

China is a "promising market" for electric vehicles, Daimler AG Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche told journalists during the show's press opening.

Zetsche's company and BYD, its partner in China, plan to launch an electric car for the Chinese market in 2013, Zetsche said.

"It's not just a question of carbon dioxide but energy safety," Henry Li, general manager of BYD Automobile Co.'s auto export trade division told The Detroit News. "That's why we need electric vehicles."

Volkswagen announced its electric vehicle strategy specifically targeted to the Chinese market, saying that local production of electric vehicles in China would begin in 2013-14.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said China is becoming the company's "most important market around the world," noting that "the success of the electric vehicle segment in the country is key to the success of our global electric vehicle strategic vision."

General Motors Co. is also eyeing China's green car market. Its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is expected to be available in China next year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

For the Japanese automobile sector:

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is expected to launch its i-MiEV car in China by 2012.

Nissan Motor Co said that it would start selling its Leaf electric compact car in China early next year and is considering manufacturing it in the country as well.

And Honda Motor announced it would introduce three hybrid models in China by 2013.

Domestically, Xu Liuping, president of Chinese automaker Changan Automobile Group, said the company's focus for the future is on "G-Living: green, growth and global." It is showcasing four hybrid and six electric vehicles at the auto show.

By 2015, sales of passenger vehicles -- cars, sport utility vehicles and minivans -- in China are expected to increase by 55 percent over 2009 sales, states J.D. Power and Associates' "China Automotive 2015" report launched last week. That's equal to 13.55 million vehicles.