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SCMP Reporter

Makers of eco-friendly vehicles are already salivating over Hong Kong's market potential. 
The latest generation of low-carbon vehicles aim for mass appeal and feature sleek sports convertibles, motorcycles and even a special edition Mini Cooper.
About  50 environmentally friendly vehicles yesterday paraded along a  70-kilometre route  from Tin Shui Wai to Tsim Sha Tsui and Sha Tin, eventually ending  at the Hong Kong Science Park near Tai Po where an exhibition is being held until Sunday.
About  20 international carmakers  will be showing off the future of road travel in Hong Kong, while organisers CLP Power are featuring their solutions to the infrastructure such cars need to stay charged.
 Tesla, which makes the Roadster electric vehicle, has sold 10  sports coupes since June.
'They love it,' said Andrew Windebank, Tesla marketing manager. 'We call it the grin factor.'
The Roadster goes from zero to 97km/h in 3.7 seconds and can travel up to 394km on  a single charge. However, even the cheapest  model will cost  enthusiasts HK$988,000.
The market for electric vehicles is expected to take off not just for their  air and noise pollution benefits. 
According to Ron Chung, electric mobility development manager at CLP, the total amount drivers spend on petrol for  their cars is about  seven times what it would cost for an electric vehicle. 
These cars  make more than 80 per cent of their input energy usable, as opposed to the 15 to 20 per cent efficiency of a petrol car.
An electric vehicle offers  a smooth and  quiet ride. The engine does not rumble, and a passenger who is not paying attention will not  even notice the car start up. 
The only giveaway is the occasional high-pitched whistle.  
'I like the high-pitched whine. It feels hi-tech and clean,' Chung said.
Also on show was the Vectrix VX-1, an all-electric scooter with a horsepower equivalent to 250cc and a maximum speed of 100km/h. 
More than  4,000 have  been sold worldwide to customers including the Hong Kong Police Force, according to Wesley Lau, president of Vectrix. By early next year  he hopes to be selling them to the Hong Kong public.
Electric vehicles may appear to be the perfect solution for consumers, carmakers and the environment, but the key  obstacle to their widespread adoption is a lack of infrastructure to charge them.
'Even if I use a car like this,  where can I charge it?' said Peter Wong Siu-hong, an IT professional who passed by the invitation-only opening.  'Even if the price is lower, if the infrastructure does not support it the car is not useful.'
Alfred Wong Koon-fung, an IT systems administrator, echoed the sentiment.
'Are you going to move your car into your home and plug it in? That's impossible,' he said.
 '[But] if they are cheap enough, if the infrastructure is good enough, we will definitely go for them. I think they look great,' Wong said.
Day trippers
The number of electric vehicles that took to the roads yesterday to demonstrate the technology: 50
Powered up
Petrol engines typically produce power efficiency of 15 to 20 per cent whereas  in electric cars the level is: 80%
Slow mover
The number of Tesla Roadster electric sports coupes sold in  Hong Kong since June: 10




Electric cars take mass appeal route to a cleaner HK