Climate change: Hong Kong bus operator KMB seeks government support to power rapid conversion of fleet to electric vehicles
- KMB plans to increase the number of electric buses on the road from around 30 currently to 80 by the middle of next year and to 500 by 2025
- With support from CLP and the government, the company aims to retire all its diesel-powered buses by 2040 – a decade ahead of an earlier target
Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB), which operates 70 per cent of Hong Kong’s total fleet, is seeking support from the government and its power supplier to achieve its target of moving its entire fleet to low-carbon technology by 2040.
KMB, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Transportation International, earlier this week announced that it will stop buying diesel buses to help the city reach its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.
KMB plans to increase the number of electric buses on the road from around 30 currently to 80 by the middle of next year and to 500 by 2025. Moreover, the company plans to fully retire its existing fleet of around 4,000 diesel buses by 2040 – a decade earlier than planned.
“In the past few years, new-energy vehicles, especially electric buses, have witnessed remarkable development progress,” Addie Lam Tsz-ho, assistant director of communications, said in an interview. “Advancement in battery technology has much extended their driving range.”
Having access to sufficient additional power supply from Kowloon’s sole electricity supplier, CLP Power Hong Kong, will be essential as the company’s fleet transitions to electricity, Lam said.