Can electric vehicles ever really meet Hong Kong’s transport needs?
Gilly Wong says a concerted effort is required from the government and electricity companies to drive the city towards a greener future, at an affordable price
Many consumers buy electric vehicles because they want to reduce the environmental impact of their personal transport. Public transport should be the preferred option. It is fast, environmentally friendly and good value for money. But consumers sometimes also need to use taxis and own their own car.
According to government data, transport accounts for 17 per cent of Hong Kong’s carbon dioxide emissions, mainly caused by road vehicles burning fuel. Road transport is also a major source of local air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (60 per cent), as well as fine (17 per cent) and respirable (14 per cent) suspended particles.
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The number of private electric cars in Hong Kong has been growing rapidly. From just 1,714 in April 2015, the figure has grown to 4,830 within a year – driven by improved recharging infrastructure, better choice and exemption from the first registration tax. Between January and May, over 1,100 Teslas were sold, accounting for more than 95 per cent of the electric vehicle market.
But are electric vehicles really more environmentally friendly? And is their growth necessarily “green” in the long term? In a recent article in Choice, the magazine of the Consumer Council, we published results of an exercise by overseas consumer organisations, comparing a selection of electric, hybrid, diesel- and petrol-engined vehicles available in Hong Kong.
The test used more realistic driving conditions than the standard conditions adopted by official test cycles. The benchmarking exercise did not include the Tesla, as it was tested in November 2014. However, its environmental performance has been the subject of recent debate.
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The tests looked at “well-to-wheel” emissions, which include the carbon dioxide released from refining crude oil and generating electricity. It also looked at exhaust emissions. However, emissions from manufacturing the car and batteries were excluded.