LCQ21: Promoting popularisation of electric vehicles
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Question:
On promoting the popularisation of electric vehicles (EVs) in Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the brands, models, purchase prices and numbers of service years to date of the official vehicles currently allocated to the Chief Executive and the various Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux (set out in a table by post title);
(2) of the number of newly registered electric private cars (e-PCs) in Hong Kong from January to September this year (with a breakdown by brand);
(3) of the respective numbers of various types of newly registered electric commercial vehicles in the past three years;
(4) of the respective (i) monthly and (ii) up-to-date numbers of applications for tax concession received and approved by the Transport Department under the "One-for-One Replacement" Scheme, since the launch of the Scheme in 2018;
(5) given that two of the eligibility criteria of the "One-for-One Replacement" Scheme are that: (i) the old private car (PC) must have been first registered for six years or more, and (ii) the applicant must have been the registered owner of that vehicle for 18 months or more without interruption, of the respective numbers of PCs as at September 30 this year which satisfied the two aforesaid criteria; the relevant projected figures for the coming three years;
(6) whether it knows the numbers of (i) parking spaces and (ii) public EV chargers, together with a breakdown by type (i.e. standard, medium and quick), in each car park under the MTR Corporation Limited, the Link Asset Management Limited and the Hong Kong Housing Authority as at September 30 this year (set out in a table);
(7) given that in her Policy Address delivered last year, the Chief Executive put forward the initiative of preparing a $2 billion pilot subsidy scheme to subsidise the installation of EV charging-enabling infrastructure in the car parks of eligible residential buildings, of the latest progress and details of the scheme;
(8) as the Government has indicated that it will update the Clean Air Plan to, among other things, examine the policy of further promoting the use of EVs, and will formulate Hong Kong's first roadmap on the popularisation of EVs, of the relevant details and the expected time for publishing the Plan;
(9) given that the Government injected in 2020 an additional $800 million to the New Energy Transport Fund (previously named the Pilot Green Transport Fund) to further encourage trial and wider use of green innovative transport technologies, of the scope of subsidy, the number of applications received so far, the target number of projects to be subsidised, as well as when the effectiveness of the Fund will be reviewed; and
(10) as it has been reported that the Government of the United Kingdom has, starting from this year, introduced green number plates for e-PCs as eco-labels to facilitate the implementation of new policies on encouraging members of the public to switch to EVs, whether the Government will draw reference from such practice and implement similar policies to enhance public awareness of environmental protection and the community's understanding of the benefits of zero-emission of EVs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has all along been adopting a multi-pronged approach to proactively promote the popularisation of EVs. My reply to the question raised by the Hon Chan Hak-kan is as follows:
(1) According to the information provided by the Government Logistics Department, the models of the government vehicles allocated to the Chief Executive, Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux at present include BMW 750LiA, Lexus LS460L, Infiniti Q70L Hybrid and Tesla Model S 85D. As at September 30, 2020, the service year of the vehicles concerned ranges from 2.3 to 4.7 years, while the unit purchasing price of the vehicles ranges from about $350,000 to $720,000.
(2) According to the statistics provided by the Transport Department (TD), for the period from January 1 to September 30, 2020, the number of first registered electric private cars (e-PCs) in Hong Kong is 2 909 and its breakdown is tabulated by brand below:
| Brand | Number of first registered e-PCs |
| AUDI | 31 |
| BMW i | 22 |
| HYUNDAI | 264 |
| JAGUAR | 6 |
| KIA | 144 |
| MERCEDES BENZ | 48 |
| NISSAN | 180 |
| PORSCHE | 20 |
| RENAULT | 34 |
| SMART | 26 |
| TESLA | 2 116 |
| VOLKSWAGEN | 18 |
| Total | 2 909 |
(3) Based on TD's statistics, the numbers of various types of electric commercial vehicles (e-CVs) first registered in Hong Kong in the past three years are tabulated below:
| Type of e-CVs | Number of first registered vehicles in the year | ||
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Goods vehicle | 12 | 16 | 42 |
| Bus | 18 | 5 | 3 |
| Light bus | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Taxi | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Special purpose vehicle | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 42 | 26 | 51 |
(4) Since the introduction of the "One-for-One Replacement" Scheme (the Scheme) on February 28, 2018 until September 30, 2020, a total of 5 249 applications were received by the TD, among which 5 182 were approved, seven were being processed and 60 were rejected for not complying with the eligibility criteria. The numbers of applications received and approved by the TD under the Scheme are detailed in Annex 1.
(5) Based on TD's statistics, the number of registered private cars (PCs) that met the two requirements of the Scheme, i.e. "having been first registered for six years or more" and "its owner having owned the PC for 18 months or more without interruption", as at September 30, 2020 and the estimated numbers for the coming three years are set out in Annex 2.
(6) The number of parking spaces and EV chargers installed at car parks managed by the MTR Corporation Limited, Link Asset Management Limited and the Hong Kong Housing Authority as at September 30, 2020 are tabulated in Annex 3.
(7) The Chief Executive announced in her 2019 Policy Address the preparation of a $2 billion pilot subsidy scheme to promote the installation of EV charging-enabling infrastructure in car parks of existing private residential buildings, enabling EV owners to install chargers at car parks of their residences according to their own needs in the future for charging at home. The pilot subsidy scheme, i.e. the EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme (EHSS), has been open for application since October 21, 2020. The EHSS will run for about three years with a view to covering roughly 60 000 private parking spaces. The Government will subsidise the total cost of the installation works, subject to a funding ceiling for each private residential development. The subsidy shall not exceed $15 million, or $30,000 per approved private parking space, whichever is the less. Applications shall be submitted by owners' corporations, managers appointed under the Deed of Mutual Covenant or all owners, and will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
(8) The Government is actively preparing to update the Clean Air Plan to examine long-term targets and measures that will further improve air quality and reduce air pollutant emissions from various sources. The related work is expected to be completed by the first half of 2021.
By the first quarter of 2021, we will also formulate the Hong Kong's first roadmap on the popularisation of EVs. The roadmap will set out the long-term policies and plans for promoting EVs and providing the ancillary facilities, and will also explore the feasibility of setting targets on banning the sale of conventional fueled PCs, with a view to leading a gradual environmental transformation of various types of vehicles and achieving zero vehicular emission at roadside.
(9) To further promote wider test and use of green innovative transport technologies by the transport sector, the Government has recently extended the scope of the Pilot Green Transport Fund after the review, which was renamed as the New Energy Transport Fund (NETF) in September 2020. As at October 2020, the NETF has approved 193 trial applications with a total subsidy of about $149 million. Trials have been conducted on 141 electric light goods vehicles (LGVs), 18 single-deck electric buses, three electric light buses (LBs), three electric taxis, one electric medium goods vehicle (MGV) which is a tractor, 48 hybrid LGVs, 27 hybrid MGVs, 20 hybrid LBs, two single-deck hybrid buses, one solar air-conditioning system for use on buses, four electric inverter air-conditioning systems for use on buses, three diesel-electric propulsion systems for use on ferries and one seawater scrubber for use on ferries.
The NETF Steering Committee assists the Government in assessing the technology/product categories that are eligible for funding support, as well as deciding the funding rules and caps for each technology/product category. The Steering Committee also advises the Government on the vetting and approval of applications. The Environmental Protection Department will continue to invite the transport sector to apply for the NETF to try out green innovative transport technologies, and will also encourage suppliers to introduce more products into the local market for use by the transport sector. As in the past, funding applications approved under the NETF will be announced, and the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs will be briefed on the progress and achievements made under the NETF.
(10) As for the proposal on introducing green number plates for e-PCs as eco-labels, the Government will study and make reference to similar practices in other places and their effectiveness, and examine the feasibility of local application.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
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