Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis
5/18/2013

Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on May 18, 2013. HK saw its first electric taxis hit the streets in a step towards reducing the city's high levels of roadside pollution. The 45 bright red cars were launched by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD, which is partly backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett.


http://easss.com/cars/electric


Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on Saturday in a step towards reducing the city's high levels of roadside pollution.


The 45 bright red cars were launched by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD, which is partly backed by US investment titan Warren Buffett.


Called the BYD e6, the five-door crossover sedans are powered by iron phosphate batteries and take two hours to charge, a statement from BYD said, adding that they can then travel for 300 kilometres (more than 180 miles).

The cars have been rented by the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association, which is testing them over the next six months.

"The idea of being environmentally friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example," said Wong Chung Keung, president and chairman of the association.


"An electric car saves the cost of fuel and will allow our taxi drivers to earn more," he added, saying that a normal taxi would cost HK$0.8 (10 US cents) to run per kilometre (0.6 miles) while an electric car would cost HK$0.2-HK$0.3.


He called for more charging stations around the city to encourage taxi drivers to go electric—BYD said it is setting up 47 chargers in nine charging locations near car parks.


Hong Kong's Financial Secretary John Tsang was quoted in a BYD statement as welcoming the electric car and saying he was committed to "promoting environmental sustainability by laying the foundation for Hong Kong to become a zero emissions city".


The government announced revisions to its air quality objectives for the first time in 25 years in January 2012, after University of Hong Kong research showed pollution-related illnesses killed more than 3,000 residents a year.

Monday, October 31, 2011

So who is winning the electric car race? Hong Kong and Shenzhen battle it out in race to develop electric cars


So who is winning the electric car race? Hong Kong and Shenzhen battle it out in race to develop electric cars; 
Sluggish start for green vehicles in HK, Shenzhen


Fiona Tam in Shenzhen and Cheung Chi-fai


South China Morning Post
November 12, 2010 Friday


Electric cars may be capable of being driven as fast as petrol-powered ones, but sales in Hong Kong and Shenzhen are going at a snail's pace.


Both cities have declared their aim to become the electric vehicle hub of the Pearl River Delta, but so far the emission-free vehicles have caught the attention of a tiny niche market, with Shenzhen better placed to win the race.


"At this stage, Hong Kong won't be able to beat Shenzhen in terms of the quantity of electric vehicles since it does not have car manufacturing," said Professor Eric Cheng Ka-wai, a specialist in electric vehicles at Polytechnic University.


"The strong government support and favourable policies in Shenzhen also put the city in a more advantageous position."


About 19 months after Hong Kong supposedly embraced the zero-emission vehicles, the city has 80 such cars including, 37 private ones, out of 650,000 registered vehicles.


Shenzhen, with a strong industrial base and favourable government support, may be in a better position to reach its goal of becoming a hi-tech and low-carbon manufacturing centre. Even so, it has only 339 hybrid buses and 50 electric taxis - carmaker BYD's E6 model - plus 186 privately owned electric or hybrid cars.


Shenzhen has an ambitious target to put 35,000 electric or hybrid vehicles on the road by 2012. Among this cleaner and greener fleet will be 2,500 electric taxis, 4,000 electric or hybrid buses, and 25,000 private hybrid cars.


The city plans to build a national hybrid and electric car-making industrial base in five years with up to 60 billion yuan (HK$70 billion) investment. The industry, says vice-mayor Tang Jie , will produce 200,000 to 300,000 electric cars a year.


While buyers of electric vehicles on the mainland and in the United States get big cash subsidies, the only financial incentive Hong Kong offers is a waiver on the first registration tax.


But no matter what target is set and how many incentives are on the table, both cities face the universal challenge of expanding the electric vehicle market. One key barrier has been building a recharging network with enough coverage to give drivers the confidence to buy the cars.


There are only three charging service stations in the Longgang and Futian districts of Shenzhen. The government says there will be 13 by the end of the year, but only one has been added in the past six months.
This has deterred buyers, even with an attractive cash subsidy of up to 120,000 yuan - half from the central government and the rest from the Shenzhen government.


BYD, Shenzhen's electric-car maker, has reported only 300 sales of its plug-in-hybrid F3DM in the past eight months, even though it costs just 90,000 yuan after the subsidy.


"The biggest obstacle to boosting the electric car market is insufficient recharge [services]," said Gao Guohui , deputy secretary general of the Shenzhen municipal government. He does not expect a solution within two years.


Drivers of electric taxis also complain about the hassle of recharging, saying a typical daily run of 1,000 kilometres means they have to plug in two or three times a day.


Wang Chuanfu , BYD's chief executive, said last week that electric taxis in operation since May covered on average of 133 kilometres a day, far below the norm for those running on fuel.


To overcome the bottleneck, Shenzhen plans to build 25 large service stations for electric vehicles and 10,000 public parking places with recharging facilities by 2012.


The Southern China Grid, a state owned company, is already building free charging points, and the Shenzhen government is providing a 9,000 yuan electricity subsidy to users.


Back in Hong Kong, developing the charging network has been a priority for the government. There are now 28 recharging points in private and public car parks across the city, not including two quick-charging points being tested by CLP Power and Hongkong Electric.


The government hopes to boost the number to 500 in the coming months through a collaboration with the power suppliers, property developers and car park operators.


It is also pushing a measure to ensure all newly built parking lots must be equipped with charging facilities.
But installing the facilities at existing multi-storey buildings is challenging. Problems of multiple ownerships and liabilities need to be sorted out by property owners, power suppliers and the regulators.


Professor Cheng said Hong Kong had more physical constraints than Shenzhen in setting up its charging infrastructures and policymakers had to deal with diverse interests.


"If you want to build a quick-charging spot at the car park of a shopping mall, you are going to need a large area for laying the power infrastructure. If a spot is very close to homes, there might be safety concerns from the public," he said.


Leonard Cheng Wai-nam, general manager in charge of electric vehicles at Universal Cars, which distributes the iMiev in Hong Kong, said it was difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by the two cities by looking at the numbers.


Instead, he said more attention should be paid to the contexts in which electric vehicles were promoted and launched. This is where Hong Kong leads Shenzhen.


"Hong Kong has all pre-conditions ready here - a compact city, a smaller daily mileage and a mature community of car owners. So once the momentum is set, it will take off very fast," Cheng said.


One of Hong Kong's biggest advantages is a reliable supply of electricity and a stable transmission grid.
"Just look across the border. They are still talking about power blackouts at homes and even factories during the summer. So our power network is no doubt a great asset."


Cheng also felt the top-down approach from the Shenzhen authorities did not necessarily entail strong backing from the community, businesses and individuals.


"Too often the mainland's focus is more on the economic benefits of the electric vehicles, and the carmakers are major driving forces in developing products that cater more for the needs of the domestic market."
November 11, 2010


Copyright 2010 South China Morning Post Ltd.

ALT 8 Myths About The Electric Car


ALT 8 Myths About The Electric Car
by AMI CHOLIA on Friday, October 15, 2010 


Almost every car manufacturer is planning to bring out an electric car in the near future. While the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt will be the first to enter the market, Mitsubishi and SMART’s EVs will join the ranks soon. But as the number of cars increase, so do the myths about them. Here are ALT 8 myths about electric cars and the facts to debunk them.


MYTH 1: The electric grid will be overloaded if everyone plugs in at the same time
FACT: There have been a number of studies about the national grid’s ability to handle the onslaught of electric cars. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which is the utility industry’s research arm, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that since electric cars will be rolled out gradually, utility companies will have enough time to react to the load. Secondly, even without the introduction of Smart grid technology — where charging can be spaced out to off-peak hours — utility companies are providing consumers with several incentives to charge at night, when the grid is operating at a small percentage of its full capacity. In fact, with vehicle-to-grid capability (which should exist in the next couple of years) a plug-in electric car owner could sell electricity from a battery back to the grid.


MYTH 2: Electric cars will still harm the the environment
FACT: Because electric cars are more efficient, even with 52 percent of our electricity being generated by coal-fired power plants, plug-in cars reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and most other pollutants compared with conventional gas or hybrid vehicles. Besides, on a daily basis we’re moving towards using more renewable energy — wind, solar, hydro — to power our electricity.


MYTH 3: You will run out of range
FACT: Most Americans drive an average of 40 miles per day, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Almost all the new electric cars that are going to be launched in the next few years have a range of at least a 100 miles. The new Chevy Volt can go up to 300 miles on a single charge once its gas engine kicks in. Besides, any regular plug point can be used in an emergency, in case you forgot to charge your car at night. And public infrastructure that is currently being set up in most cities, can completely recharge your car in about 4-6 hours. Also, a computer screen on your dashboard will tell you how much charge you have left on your car, before you even start driving, so you won’t be left unawares.


MYTH 4: Electric cars are too expensive
FACT: Like all new technology, electric cars are relatively expensive. But as we mentioned before, in the long run you will make up the cost difference in terms of what you save at the pump and significantly lower maintenance costs (no oil changes, tune ups, filter changes etc.). According to Consumer Reports, “at about 3 miles per kWh (the rough efficiency engineers estimate for most of today’s EVs), that’s about 4 cents a mile. With gas costing about $2.80 a gallon, a car such as the Toyota Corolla, which gets very good fuel economy of 30 mpg, would cost about 9 cents a mile for fuel.” In places like California where gas is between $3 to $4 dollars, the savings are even more. Also, the government stimulus package includes a $2,500 to $7,500 tax credit for EVs. And states like California have an additional $5,000 incentive.


MYTH 5: There isn’t enough available public infrastructure
FACT: Experts predict that more than 80 percent of electric car charging will occur at home at night. And since these cars can be charged using a regular 120 V plug, you don’t need any kind of public infrastructure to help you get around. Besides, most urban cities are teaming up with charging companies to set up public-charging-stations.


MYTH 6: Electric car batteries are bad for the environment
FACT: According to the EPA, almost 90 percent of the electric car battery will be recycled. Kind of like the regular lead-acid car battery which is almost entirely recycled right now. Most research tells us that lithium-ion batteries will have about 40-50 percent of their capacity left after automative use, to be used for secondary purposes, mostly power storage.


MYTH 7: I’ll have to replace my battery often
FACT: While companies like Better Place have a battery swamp initiative in place — so you don’t have to waste time charging your battery, companies like Nissan and Chevrolet have increased their warranties on their cars to ease consumer fears.


MYTH 8: Electric cars aren’t fast enough
FACT: Most electric cars have a top speed of at least a 100 mph (which is far higher than any speed limit) and cars like the Tesla Roadster can go from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds.


http://alttransport.com/2010/10/alt-8-myths-about-the-electric-car/


12 Myths About Electric Vehicles
Jan 5, 2010 
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/12-myths-about-electric-vehicles.html


Debunking Electric Car Myths
Oct 26, 2010
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/debunking-electric-car-myths.html