I refer to the letter by Alison Ng (“Practical suggestions to help realise Hong Kong’s plan of becoming electric vehicle city”) published on 12 July 2021.
The Hong Kong Government has been sparing no efforts to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and, in March 2021, announced the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of EVs (the Roadmap), setting out the long-term policy objectives and plans to push ahead the popularisation of EVs towards zero vehicular emissions before 2050. The key measures include ceasing the new registration of fuel-propelled private cars in 2035 or earlier, promoting trials for electric public transport and commercial vehicles, expanding the EV charging network and promoting its marketisation, training of EV technical and maintenance practitioners, and formulating a Producer Responsibility Scheme for retired EV batteries.
The EV adoption in Hong Kong compares well with other economies. Our current incentives such as the tax concession under the one-for-one replacement scheme and lower annual vehicle licence fee for electric private cars are attractive. During the first half of 2021, more than 1 out of 6 of the newly registered private cars in Hong Kong are electric, as compared with 1 out of 16 in 2019.
We do not lose sight of electric public transport and commercial vehicles despite the challenge of demanding local operating environment. We have been proactively promoting trials of these vehicles with a view to setting a more concrete way forward and timetable about 2025. $300 million has been allocated for trying out electric single-deck buses, public light buses and taxis and the $1.1 billion New Energy Transport Fund is subsidising trials for other types of EVs such as electric double-deck buses and goods vehicles.
We are fully aware of the rising demand for EV repair and maintenance in light of wider EV adoption and have been working closely with the local institutions and EV trades for provision of additional training, re-training as well as education opportunities.
We will review and update the Roadmap around every five years to keep abreast of the latest EV development and move towards the target of zero vehicular emissions early.
S.T. MAK, Principal Environmental Protection Officer (Mobile Source), Environmental Protection Department