Give commercial electric vehicles more support in Hong Kong, environmental advisers urge government
- Members of Advisory Council on the Environment say government could push harder on replacing traditional commercial vehicles
- Commercial vehicles, including goods trucks, buses and taxis, account for about 95 per cent of all vehicular emissions
Environmental advisers have urged the Hong Kong government to provide more infrastructural support for new energy vehicles, especially electric commercial vehicles (e-CVs).
At a meeting of the Advisory Council on the Environment on Monday, members said the government could push harder on replacing traditional commercial vehicles – the main source of roadside pollutants – with e-CVs, which have no tailpipe emissions.
Commercial vehicles, including goods trucks, buses and taxis, accounted for about 95 per cent of all vehicular emissions, including respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides, despite making up just 20 per cent of the total vehicle fleet, according to government statistics in 2016.
Although the government provided tax waivers and funding to support the use of e-CVs, the Environmental Protection Department said their relatively short battery life and long charging time limited their uses.
It said taxis were the biggest challenge because it took four hours to charge an electric one and one charge a day was not enough.
