The government is committed to promoting green transportation, with the goal of achieving zero vehicle emissions by 2050. This year’s policy report proposes that about 3,000 electric taxis will be deployed by the end of 2027. Based on the current estimate of about 18,000 taxis in Hong Kong, it will account for Overall about one-sixth.
Cornerstone Technology, which develops electric vehicle charging solutions, plans to cooperate with taxi dealers next year to provide one-stop electric taxi packages and accelerate the introduction of electric taxis into service.
In addition, the company will install charging stations in 33 car parks under Link REIT next year, allocate a total of 600 charging piles, and develop a platform to establish a sound charging station network and promote home charging services to meet the needs of the development of electric vehicles.
The total number of electric private cars exceeds 40,000, four times that of five years ago
In order to encourage car owners to switch to environmentally friendly fuels, the government has seen a surge in demand for electric vehicles in recent years. Among them, electric private cars accounted for a rapid increase in the proportion of newly registered private cars in Hong Kong, from 6.3% three years ago to 45.5% in the first three quarters of this year.
Statistics from the Transport Department show that as of October this year, there were 2,955 newly registered electric vehicles, and the total number of registered electric private cars totaled 41,259, compared with only 10,666 five years ago (2017).
In an exclusive interview with "HK01", Co-Stone Technology CEO Yip Siu-kang said that the current market demand for electric vehicles is high and there is a shortage of supply. "Whether a complete electric vehicle charging network and home charging facilities can be built will also affect people's desire to buy cars.
He predicts that commercial vehicles will be the next development direction of electric vehicles, such as buses, coaches, light trucks, taxis and so on.
New one-stop electric taxi package
Ye Zhaokang revealed that the company will cooperate with taxi dealers next year to provide a one-stop pilot plan for electric taxis, providing electric taxis, parking spaces, charging piles, insurance, and taxi licenses.
The car dealership is responsible for finding license plate owners and drivers, while Co-Stone Technology invests in electric taxis and provides charging parking spaces, charging facilities and insurance. All projects are integrated into a one-stop package for renting to drivers. The plan is expected to cover 5 to 10 taxis .
The government will launch the "Easy Charging Subsidy Scheme for EV Housing Estates" in 2020, and it is expected to allocate 3.5 billion yuan to assist about 700 existing private housing estate car parks to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Co-Stone Technology is one of the contractors and has signed contracts with three private housing estates, including Jazz Homantin Garden, which started construction in August this year, and Ulsan Garden and Haiyu, which started construction in November. Next year, it will install charging stations in 33 car parks under Link REIT station, a total of 600 charging piles are allocated.
▼Introduction of BYD Electric Taxi on August 31▼
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Renovate the parking lot and start the charging station with both hardware and software
Ye Zhaokang pointed out that the lack of supporting design of the parking lot is the main difficulty in installing charging stations.
He explained that the current power supply equipment in general parking lots in Hong Kong is not enough to meet the power demand of the charging station, so it is necessary to apply to the power company to increase the power supply of the electric switch room in the parking lot, and carry out reconstruction projects such as cable pulling, digging, and wall penetration.
In addition to the "hardware" facilities, the cloud software "Load management system" will also be used to evenly distribute power, so that the limited current can support 3 to 4 times more charging piles to solve the problem of insufficient power.
Car owners did not switch to electric vehicles because they were worried that charging would not be popular
Ye Zhaokang believes that the establishment of a complete network of electric vehicle charging facilities and the promotion of home charging are important steps to promote the development of electric vehicles. You know, I don’t know if there is a charging station.” Based on Co-Stone Technology’s development of two apps, it is convenient for car owners to search for the location of charging stations.
Open two application platforms to facilitate car owners to find charging stations
Cornerstone Technology launched the "Cornerstone GO" platform, website and mobile application to provide network information of the company's charging locations, making it easier for car owners to find charging stations.
The network mainly covers public parking lots. In addition to Link REIT's 33 shopping mall parking lots that will install charging stations and Minfang's 7 shopping mall parking lots that have already operated charging stations, it also includes the charging facilities of Co-Stone's partners, a total of about 70 Place.
Another "Cornerstone HOME" electric vehicle charging monthly fee plan covers private residential parking lots and provides home charging services.
Ye Zhaokang pointed out that charging at home is more convenient for car owners, as long as they return to the residential parking lot to park and charge, the battery will be fully charged the next day, and there is no need to waste time looking for charging stations.
He also revealed that plans have been signed with more than 20 private housing estates, which are expected to cover more than 8,000 parking spaces.
Drivers in Hong Kong only need to charge once every 4 to 7 days
When promoting the popularization of electric vehicles in Hong Kong and designing relevant supporting facilities, Ye Zhaokang believes that it should be in line with the driving habits of Hong Kong drivers and the urban structure. Foreign drivers generally drive a long distance, which may be 100 or 200 kilometers a day, and electric vehicle charging stations are mostly built in Next to the highway or at the gas station, the driver needs to charge quickly to continue the journey.
He pointed out that Hong Kong drivers only drive about 40 kilometers a day, and a car has a battery life of at least 200 kilometers, mostly 300 or 400 kilometers, so it needs to be charged once every 4 to 7 days. Weigh." In addition, the operation of charging stations in Hong Kong parking lots requires a fair distribution of power to each parking space. It cannot be "a few places, fast charging is enough" as done in foreign countries.
The price increase of the two electricity needs to adjust the charging fee
The tariffs of CLP and HK Electric increased by 19.8% and 45.6% year-on-year respectively, hitting record highs.
Ye Zhaokang said that the charging fee will be charged according to the market, and a reasonable charging price will be adjusted depending on the utilization rate and investment cost. The current fee is 2.4 yuan for medium-speed charging and 3 yuan for fast charging. If the two electricity prices increase, it may also be necessary adjust the price.
The Bureau of Transportation has amended the regulations to allow remote control parking. Electric vehicles must be equipped with vehicle sound warning systems to increase electricity charges｜It’s not just that household electricity costs are rising. Restaurants, fitness rooms, and electric vehicle charging are under pressure to increase prices. CLP extends the free charging service for electric vehicles until the end of 2023. Electric vehicles Fast charging is 26% more expensive in half a year, and the rate of increase is similar to that of gasoline. Automobile Association: It should be monitored to increase transparency. Electric vehicles | Set up 5,000 public chargers to reach the standard 3 years ahead of schedule, launch an app to distribute real-time information on charging positions, electric vehicles | The first gas station with charging facilities will be available soon Charge 64 yuan and charge 1 hour for 300 kilometers