Electric Vehicles to Roll into Hong Kong
The Hong Kong government announced that a variety of electric vehicle (EV) models would be introduced into Hong Kong next year, reflecting the keen interest of overseas vehicle manufacturers in the Hong Kong market.
Hong Kong Secretary for the Environment, Edward Yau, said that EV manufacturers had been incentivized by the strong policy push from the government for the promotion of EVs and the setting up of charging infrastructure. They are also encouraged by the favorable physical environment of Hong Kong for the use of electric vehicles. Many of them have already expressed interest in introducing EVs into the Hong Kong market and have been working on a concrete supply plan.
“The government has been pursuing collaboration with various EV manufacturers including Mitsubishi, Nissan and BYD,” Mr. Yau said. “We also began the trial on Mitsubishi's EV ‘i MiEV’ in May,” adding that so far the testing results had been positive.
The first batch supply of ‘i MiEV’ will be launched progressively before April 2010. The government will procure 10 units in this batch for deployment in different bureaus and departments, enabling testing of the performance of EVs comprehensively in different environments.
“Hong Kong is the first market in Asia, other than Japan, where ‘i MiEVs’ will be sold before April 2010. This is a good start. The supply will enable the extension of testing to the private sector. It will also help expose a wider section of the community to the EV driving experience. We hope that more EV manufacturers will follow the example in pitching Hong Kong as one of the priority markets for the introduction of EVs,” Mr. Yau said.
The introduction of commercial EVs, which can also enjoy the waiver of First Registration Tax applicable to all EVs, will extend the adoption of EVs for meeting commercial transportation needs. “We look forward to the introduction of a greater variety of EV models in Hong Kong as soon as possible,” Mr. Yau added.
Two power companies in Hong Kong will launch charging facilities in 2009 to complement the supply of EVs to Hong Kong and will facilitate the take-up of EVs by the community.
Environment Bureau: http://www.enb.gov.hk/
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