ENB prepares pilot subsidy scheme for electric vehicle charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of private residential buildings (with photos)
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     An Environment Bureau spokesman said today (October 15) that the Government will prepare a $2 billion pilot subsidy scheme to subsidise installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of eligible existing private residential buildings. The move is part of the Government's multi-pronged approach to promote the wider use of electric private cars in Hong Kong.

     The spokesman said, "The objective of the subsidy scheme is to help resolve the technical and financial problems often encountered in installing EV charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of private residential buildings. The provision of the infrastructure will help owners of parking spaces to install chargers according to their own needs in future. The scheme will also assist owners of electric cars to charge their EVs at home, in particular at night to optimise the use of electricity during non-peak hours."

     According to preliminary assessment, about 60 000 parking spaces in existing private residential buildings will be provided with EV charging-enabling infrastructure in about three years under the pilot scheme. Together with EV charging-enabled parking spaces in new private residential buildings granted with gross floor area concessions, it is expected that about one-fourth of all parking spaces in private residential buildings will be EV charging-enabled upon the completion of the pilot subsidy scheme.

     The spokesman added, "We will consult relevant stakeholders to work out the details of the pilot scheme immediately. We aim to assist with the installation of EV charging-enabling infrastructure in the car parks of eligible existing private residential buildings to make their EV charging facilities akin to those at most of the new private buildings built in recent years."

     The pilot subsidy scheme is another programme to promote the wider use of EVs following the plan launched by the Government in early 2019 to allocate $120 million to increase the number of EV chargers in government car parks to 1 700 in the coming three years.

     The Government has implemented a number of measures in the past few years to encourage car owners to switch to electric cars. These include offering tax concessions, the "One-for-One Replacement" Scheme, granting gross floor area concessions for installation of EV charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of new buildings, expansion of the public charging network, and the setting up of a dedicated team and a hotline to provide information and technical support on installation of EV chargers.

Ends/Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Issued at HKT 15:53

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