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Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):
Question:
To improve roadside air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Government has been proactively promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs), with the policy objective of making Hong Kong "one of the cities where EVs are most widely used". However, some EV owners have relayed that the some 1 200 EV chargers currently available for public use (public chargers) are far from adequate, and ancillary facilities are gravely insufficient as well. Moreover, an internationally uniform set of conductive charging standards for EVs is currently unavailable. The conductive charging standards most commonly adopted by various major EV manufacturers include: the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) of the United States, GuoBiao (GB) of China and CHAdeMO DC quick charging standard of Japan. As different charging methods and plugs are used by different models of EVs, EV owners find it very inconvenient when using public chargers to charge their EVs, and this in turn has posed an obstacle to the popularisation of EVs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has considered drawing up a set of official charging standards for EVs in Hong Kong; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) of a breakdown, by conductive charging standard, of the existing numbers of public chargers and registered private EVs as set out in the Annex I;
(3) whether it has assessed (i) if the existing respective numbers of standard, medium and quick public chargers can allay vehicle owners' concern about charging issues and boost their confidence in switching to EVs, and (ii) how these numbers compare with the current and future demands for chargers; whether it has any specific plans to install additional public chargers; if it does, of the details (including the conductive charging standards involved); if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether it has formulated comprehensive development strategies concerning the management and payment methods of public chargers, as well as the information technology security involved in the systems concerned, etc.; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(5) given that the Government has been encouraging developers to install EV chargers in the car parks of newly constructed buildings through granting concessions on Gross Floor Areas for car parks, and it has written to owners' corporations and owners' committees to appeal for their positive responses to request for installing EV charging facilities in the properties under their management, whether the Government knows, since the implementation of the aforementioned measures, the respective numbers of private residential properties in which EV charging facilities were installed upon the properties' completion and those in which EV charging facilities were retrofitted after the properties' completion, together with a list of such properties' names, the number of units in the properties and the number of chargers installed; whether the Government has considered offering more incentives to encourage managers of private properties to install EV charging facilities; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6) given that the number of registered electric taxis has dropped from 48 as recorded at the end of last year to 29 in June this year, exhibiting a downward trend, and that the relevant figures are far less than the 3 000 originally anticipated by an electric taxi supplier, whether the authorities have looked into the reasons behind the situation; if they have, whether one of the reasons is that there are insufficient charging facilities; whether, in addition to granting exemption from first registration tax, the Government will enhance public charging facilities to encourage the taxi trade to switch to electric taxis; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Electric vehicles (EVs) have no tailpipe emissions and are efficient in converting energy from the grid to power. Replacing conventional vehicles with EVs can help improve roadside air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Government has been actively promoting the wider use of EVs. Such efforts include, inter alia, various government departments taking the lead in using EVs, waiving first registration tax for EVs, working with the private sector to expand the EV charging network and encouraging vehicle suppliers to introduce suitable EV models into Hong Kong. As at end September 2015, 2 514 registered electric private cars are in use in Hong Kong. Comparing with only 60 in late 2010, the increase is encouraging and also shows that the relevant government policies have boosted the number of EVs.
My specific responses are as follows:
(1) Regarding charging facilities, given that there is yet an internationally harmonised standard for EV charging and that EVs in Hong Kong are mainly imported, setting a standard for EV charging will limit the choices of EV owners. So far, the Transport Department has approved 46 models of EVs from seven countries for use in Hong Kong. There are currently about 1 200 public charging points in various districts of Hong Kong and the public charging facilities are available for use by all electric private cars of different makes in the market. As for commercial EVs, such as light goods vehicles and light buses, EV operators will usually set up their own charging facilities to cater for their operational needs. The Government will keep in view the development of EV charging standards and consider the need to enhance the charging network in a timely manner.
(2) As at end September 2015, there are 2 514 registered electric private cars and about 1 200 public charging points in Hong Kong. The numbers of public charging points by charging standards and electric private cars that can use these charging points are set out in the Annex II.
(3) While car owners usually charge their EVs at the parking spaces of their home or office, they will make use of public charging facilities when their electric cars need to extend their mileage.
We have kept in view the growth of EVs and have been working with the commercial sector to expand and enhance the charging facilities so as to promote the wider use of EVs. There are currently about 1 200 public charging points in various districts of Hong Kong, among them 180 are medium chargers, 11 are quick chargers of CHAdeMO standard and 106 are quick chargers of other standards.
Last year the Government installed 100 medium chargers at 16 government car parks, which are suitable for use by most EVs and the charging time is 60 per cent faster than that of standard chargers. In general, about an hour charging with the medium charger is sufficient to meet the need of an EV. Moreover, the commercial sector has been upgrading their existing public standard chargers to medium chargers and installing multi-standard quick chargers. EV suppliers have also been proactive in adding charging facilities, including medium and quick chargers, at public venues to support the operation of EVs.
(4) In recent years, there has been significant technology advancement for EVs. But in comparison with conventional vehicles, the prices of EVs are still on the high side. To promote the use of EVs, the Government has installed charging facilities for public use, and charging at these facilities are basically free at present. The Government will closely monitor the growth of EVs. When considering the need for expanding the charging facilities, the Government will take into account of the management and payment systems of the charging facilities and the development of the security of information technology in relation to these systems, and examine the fee collection and management methods in respect of these charging facilities. We will formulate relevant policies in a timely manner, including the arrangement on collecting fees for using public charging facilities.
(5) To encourage private car parks to provide more EV charging facilities, the Government has introduced the following initiatives:
(i) Since April 2011, concessions have been granted on gross floor area for car parks in new buildings to encourage developers to provide basic infrastructure for EV charging facilities (including sufficient power supply, electrical cables and ducts) in car parks of new buildings at the construction stage so that charging stations can be set up to meet the needs of car park users in future;
(ii) The planning guidelines in relation to new buildings were amended in June 2011, recommending that standard EV charging facilities should be provided at 30 per cent of the private car parking spaces; and
(iii) The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has established a dedicated team and a hotline (Tel: 3757 6222) to provide information and technical support for those who intend to install charging facilities. In addition, the Government has issued guidelines on the arrangements and technical requirements for setting up charging facilities.
From April 2011 to September 2015, nearly 80 per cent of car parking spaces under newly approved development plans have been equipped with the infrastructure for installation of EV charging facilities. We do not have statistics relating to EV charging facilities installed at private residential properties on completion or afterwards.
Moreover, the two power companies would give technical support to their customers who intend to install charging facilities at the car parking spaces of residential or commercial buildings. We have also noted that there are companies in the market that provide one-stop service, including installation of charging facilities and provision of charging service, to those private housing estates that require such service.
We will keep encouraging private developers and property management companies to install more EV charging facilities. We will also closely monitor the growth in the number of EVs so as to assess the need for expanding and enhancing charging facilities to promote the use of EVs.
(6) In 2013, a Mainland vehicle supplier introduced an EV model into Hong Kong for use as electric taxis under its rental programme. So far, that model is still the only electric taxi model registered in Hong Kong. The number of electric taxis depends on the supplier's business strategies and whether the EV model can cope with the operational needs of taxis in Hong Kong. As local taxis usually operate around the clock without breaks, the EV charging requirements are very demanding.
To encourage the transport sector to adopt green and innovative transport technologies, the Government set up a $300 million Pilot Green Transport Fund in March 2011 to subsidise the trade to try out these technologies. If the trade makes use of the Fund for trying electric taxis, subsidies will also be granted for setting up charging facilities in addition to the price premium between EVs and conventional taxis. To facilitate the trade to expand the electric taxi fleet, the Government has also launched a pilot scheme last year that enables electric taxi suppliers to install quick chargers at the car parks administered by the Transport Department.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:45
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