TAIYUAN -- The city at the center of China's coal industry plans to put 1,000 electric buses on its roads in 2018.

The first electric buses will be on the roads of Taiyuan, capital of northern China's Shanxi province, between February and April, according to the city public transport company.

On full battery, the domestically-made BYD buses can make seven trips. Charging takes up to four hours. Six new parking lots where the buses can be charged will be opened across the city.

Taiyuan has already replaced its entire fleet of cabs with electric ones.

The greening of Taiyuan's public transport sector is part of the province's efforts to transform its economy from heavy reliance on coal to one that balances coal with new energy by 2030.