Ways around

Yu, the driver awaiting a tag, said he has seen more clear days this winter in Beijing and understands the government faces a complex problem.

He said he would like to compromise on his car dream from a petrol vehicle to a new energy vehicle and has completed the documents.

Liu Jiangbo, 30, an administrative clerk with a State-owned enterprise in Beijing, changed his application from petrol car to a new energy one in February 2017 after two-years of waiting. He received his tag several months later.

"When I noticed that the number of applicants for EV licenses have exceeded the number of NEV licenses given per year, I made up my mind to apply for an NEV," he said. "Otherwise, it would be a much longer time to wait to own a car in Beijing."

"Even though the new energy cars still have shortcomings, such as charging inconvenience and a low mile range, it's more important to own a car to serve my daily life than the difference of the power of the car," Liu said.

Some others tend to rent a car plate from people who own a plate but don't have the need to use their car.

Liu Lin, a lawyer with the Beijing Shuangli Law Firm, said it is illegal to rent a plate.

Yu Dan, 32, a bank clerk, bought a car with his friend's car license in 2016. "I've been driving this car for more than a year. Nothing bad happened," he said. "It's important that I have a car to use and my friend has kept his license. When he wants his license back, I just sell my car and give the plate back to him."

According to the regulation, one has to purchase a car and get it registered within half a year after he or she wins a license in the lottery. The period was extended to one year beginning in 2018.

The lottery policy not only blocks individuals, but also companies and organizations. Ta Foundation for Animal Protection, a nonprofit organization in Beijing, was unable to get a license for its van, which was turned to a mobile animal clinic.

Lu Ping, a project manager for the foundation, said they waited for a year to eventually get one through a special approval process from the authority, but it's not the standard practice.

There is also a way to get a car license through buying a small-scale company that owns car plates, and there have been some successful cases. It is legal, but requires a lot of money.

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.