Electric cars on the rise in Hong Kong but building management are failing to plug a home-charging gap

Despite one of the lowest vehicle to charger ratios worldwide, facilities are struggling to keep pace with demand for electric transportation

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Lucas Tsao, 2, joins his father at the Charged Hong Kong 2015 Rally in Sha Tin. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 7:00am, 30 Nov 2015Updated: 11:45am, 30 Nov 2015

Hong Kong has one of the lowest electric vehicle to charger ratios in the world, but public charging facilities alone is still not enough to keep up with the rising popularity of electric transportation in the city, according to owners.

Electric transportation has been gaining traction in Hong Kong, with more than 3,000 electric vehicles (EV) on the road as of October, up from 100 of them in 2010.

To promote the wider adoption of EVs, there are now 1,200 chargers for public use across the city’s 18 districts in shopping malls, and commercial and government buildings.

This means that more than two cars share a charger, according to figures from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD).

Comparing the figures to countries that are frontrunners in adopting the technology, there are around nine cars per charger in Japan, and six cars per charger in Norway in 2014, according to estimates from Clean Energy Ministerial, a global forum that promotes clean energy technology.

The problem lies in the lack of home charging facilities, owners say.

30 electric vehicles join the Charged Hong Kong 2015 Rally. Photo: Edward Wong

“It’s not ideal to rely on public charging facilities, especially if you have to find an available parking space every day,” said Tesla owner Philip Kwong Wai-kay.

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