The Beijing Olympic venues will achieve the first "zero emission" games in the event's history with the deployment of environment-friendly vehicles, China's minister of science and technology told reporters in Beijing on Thursday.

Further, areas around the venues and priority Olympic traffic routes would help meet the target of "low emission" from vehicles, Wan Gang said.

He said some 500 clean fuel vehicles would travel in and among the venues, including 50 electricity-powered buses, 400 electric venue vehicles and 15 electric cleaning vehicles.

Relevant departments were working to have another 105 hybrid vehicles and 23 fuel cell cars and buses in use during the games, he said.

These vehicles would continue to run on the roads as a demonstration project after the games, Wan said, adding more Chinese cities would use such clean fuel vehicles, especially hybrids with mature technology.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2008)