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Following is a question by Hon Kam Nai-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
Question:
It has been reported that several government departments will take turn to use, on a trial basis for a period of six months, an electric private car imported by a Japanese vehicle manufacturer, so as to complement the work to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) how much more time, after completion of the aforesaid trial use, the Government expects it will need to complete the relevant review and use EVs extensively;
(b) whether it has discussed with major developers the installation of charging facilities for EVs in the car parks within their properties, and whether it has started a study on the installation of roadside charging facilities; if so, of the details;
(c) of the Government's estimated increase in electricity consumption of Hong Kong when EVs are widely used; given that the power companies of Hong Kong (especially the Hongkong Electric Company Limited) still use coal to generate electricity, of the Government's strategies to deal with the relevant air pollution problem arising from the increase in electricity generation due to EVs being widely used;
(d) whether it has plans to introduce other types of EVs (e.g. buses) for use in Hong Kong;
(e) whether it will adopt measures to facilitate investors to set up vehicle battery factories in Hong Kong and develop Hong Kong into a production base for EVs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(f) of the Government's estimated economic benefits and employment opportunities for Hong Kong to be brought about by the widespread use of EVs?
Reply:
President,
(a) To promote the wider adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the first and foremost condition is that automobile manufacturers are able to produce and provide sufficient EVs. We anticipate that commercial scale production and worldwide distribution of EVs will commence within two to three years. We will carry out preparations and enhance the necessary ancillary infrastructure with a view to facilitating the introduction of EVs to our local market. The Government has commenced trial of the first EV since May this year. The trial programme will facilitate our understanding of the performance of EVs. We will also continue to monitor closely the development of EVs, and discuss with other automobile manufacturers the feasibility of conducting trial for other EVs in Hong Kong.
(b) The Steering Committee on the Promotion of Electric Vehicles has been set up under the leadership of the Financial Secretary, with members drawn from the property development sector amongst others. Members of the Steering Committee will offer their views on various matters in connection with the wider use of EVs in Hong Kong, including the setting up of vehicle battery charging infrastructure.
(c) We anticipate that commercial scale production and worldwide distribution of EVs will commence within two to three years. The number of EVs to be supplied to the Hong Kong market then has yet to be ascertained. As EVs are zero emission vehicles, the wider use of EVs can greatly improve roadside air quality and reduce exhaust emission which will benefit pedestrians and shop owners. Separately, the charging of EVs will mostly be carried out at night when the overall electricity consumption is lower. We anticipate that EVs can utilise the relatively more abundant generation capacity of power plants at night for charging, and this will not have a major impact on our peak electricity demand. Nonetheless, we will monitor the situation closely. Though the large scale use of EVs in future might result in an overall increase in electricity consumption, with the increased use of clean energy and the phased installation of emission abatement equipment by the power plants, the emission will be further reduced. Generally speaking, the actual impact on roadside air quality and pedestrians brought by the use of EVs is far less severe than the exhaust emission produced by ordinary vehicles on roads.
(d) The promotion of the wider adoption of EVs by the Government is not restricted to private cars. We will closely monitor market supply situation and technical development to introduce other types of vehicles including those heavier ones such as buses, with a view to examining the feasibility of the wider use of EVs.
(e) and (f) Promoting the use of EVs in Hong Kong is one of our key measures for promoting green economy. It is expected that business opportunities in various areas will be created. For example, the Government has been encouraging overseas investors and local industrialists to conduct research and development (R&D) in the areas of innovation and technology in Hong Kong. To facilitate local industrialists to participate in the sizeable automobile manufacturing industry in the Mainland, the Government established the Hong Kong Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre in April 2006 to strengthen Hong Kong's R&D capability in this area with an aim to creating business opportunities in Hong Kong. At present, the Centre is also engaged in R&D activities in relation to automotive parts of EVs. Separately, having regard to the creation of business opportunities, the Steering Committee on the Promotion of Electric Vehicles will recommend a strategy complementary with specific measures to promote the use of EVs in Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:06
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