Hong Kong parking shock: Two-thirds of public charging outlets in car parks taken up by petrol vehicles
Setback for government's green initiative as Post investigation finds two-thirds of public charging spots are occupied by petrol cars
At least two-thirds of public charging spots for electric vehicles in government car parks have been occupied by petrol cars, posing a setback to the government's green initiative, a investigation has found.
The government said electric vehicles (EV) were given priority for parking spaces that are equipped with charging outlets during non-peak hours, but there are no enforcement rules in place to prevent petrol cars from occupying the space.
In three of the nine government car parks equipped with public charging facilities on Hong Kong Island, two-thirds of the EV-enabled spaces were occupied by petrol cars last Friday afternoon.
"I get really frustrated when I see internal combustion engine cars blocking the space. We really need the charging facilities when we don't have them at home or at work," said Eric Tang Chi-chung, a Tesla owner.
READ MORE: Electric cars on the rise in Hong Kong but building management are failing to plug a home-charging gap
Traffic cones with "EV priority" signs are placed in front of some spaces with faster chargers, but they are often put aside by petrol car drivers, according to staff at City Hall car park.
"I can only tell them they shouldn't park there or give out warning letters, but we can't really do anything. It's not illegal," said a worker with Wilson Parking, which manages several government car parks.
