Editorial | Remove roadblocks to Hong Kong’s electric dreams
- Subsidies, tax concessions and more charging points are crucial if Hong Kong wants to eliminate cars that run on fossil fuels
Momentum for Hong Kong’s shift from fuel-propelled cars to electric vehicles continued to build last week with a suggestion that government subsidies could be offered to bus companies to help them make the switch.
Such avenues should be fully explored to keep the city on course towards more eco-friendly transport, but planners must also keep up the pace towards providing enough infrastructure including charging points to meet public and private sector demand.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan raised the idea of providing incentives on a radio programme last Wednesday when he admitted that a major obstacle to bus firms was that electric models remained more expensive than diesel versions.
Last month, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his policy address laid out plans to introduce about 700 electric buses, as well as 3,000 taxis, by the end of 2027.
Officials have been trying to convince operators of the advantages of fuel savings and lower maintenance costs.
Tse said officials were also exploring ways to help companies increase profits so the shift did not lead to higher fares. Defraying the cost of installing fast chargers by renting idle facilities to private drivers and electric taxis is one option being considered.