China’s capital Beijing has been covered in a thick blanket of hazardous smog. While on one hand smog has forced the residents to stop use of vehicles for commuting due to pollution, on the other sales of electric cars have picked up pace in the city.

Beijing issued the first three-day pollution ‘red alert’ on Monday. The measures to combat the hazardous smog adopted by officials included limiting the use of conventional petrol-powered and hybrid cars to alternate days.

The people who own an electric car or any other electric vehicle are free to roam around in the capital at any time. This has prompted a large number of inquiries about electric vehicles from the would-be buyers.

Some dealers and automakers even said that in the past few days, the inquiries about these vehicles had increased rapidly.

Wang Chao, 26, speaking about electric vehicles at a BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK) (002594.SZ) dealership, said, “I'm considering (an electric car) as the new policy means electric cars aren't limited from driving on heavy pollution days while other types are”.

Wang, who runs a Beijing food wholesale business, said the driving restrictions posed by officials also promoted residents to think about buying electric vehicles. Also, the government subsidies that would help them save around 100,000 yuan ($15,560) on a new electric model have been prompting the consumers to make purchases.

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University found that a shift to electric cars in China might cause more air pollution because of the nation's emissions-intensive electricity grid.