Those selected will be eligible for a total subsidy of 140,000 yuan, including 60,000 yuan from the central government, 60,000 yuan from the Beijing municipal government and 20,000 yuan from manufacturer BAIC Motor.

These buyers will need to pay 109,800 yuan ($17,709) for an E150 electric car from BAIC and will be exempt from the city's license plate lottery.

According to the commission, the first 10 vehicles will be delivered to buyers very soon. Unlike Shanghai and Shenzhen, Beijing has not yet released a final policy on private ownership of electric vehicles.

No decision has been reached on whether current preferential policies will be in effect for future buyers, the commission said.

Major concerns

The commission has been organizing frequent free test drives for local residents.

After trying the vehicles, many lauded the performance of electric cars and the low cost of using electricity.

But they still voiced concerns about the inconvenience finding charging facilities and the long wait for a full charge.

"The ideal time for a single charge I can accept is half an hour," said Ouyang Liang, an employee at an IT company. But usually it takes about seven hours to fully charge an electric car.

He Rong, who works for a publishing house, said "an electric car is too expensive in addition to the inconvenience of charging and the short distances it can cover on a single charge".

Her budget for a car is about 100,000 yuan and she said she won't consider buying an electric car at present.

According to the commission, as it builds more rental stations in Beijing, more charging facilities will also be set up across the city.