Hong Kong launches electric bus in drive against
pollution
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's first battery-powered public bus took to the
streets Monday as part of a drive against the city's choking
pollution.
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying has pledged to make pollution one
of his top priorities during his five-year term, with an official
report saying it was the "greatest daily health risk" to the city's
residents.
But at least one local environmental group was sceptical about the
government's anti-pollution commitment, saying "one bus wouldn't
make any difference" and that Hong Kong was lagging behind other
global cities when it came to electric vehicles.
The new single-decker bus revealed Monday was manufactured by
Chinese automaker BYD and is powered by lithium iron phosphate
batteries that take three hours to charge and give the vehicle a
range of about 180 kilometres (110 miles).
The same company produced the southern Chinese city's first
electric taxis, which were launched in May.
Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-shing said the government
was investing HK$180 million ($23 million) in the pilot scheme,
helping to subsidise the purchase of 36 electric buses by the end
of next year that will be run by private companies.
"The long term goal is towards zero emissions along the roadside,"
he told a press conference, without giving a timeframe for the
possible expansion of the pilot scheme.
"We need to do it step by step," he said.
Kowloon Motor Bus, the largest operator involved in the trial
scheme, said it would take time and money if it was going to
transform its fleet of 3,800 buses, with each battery-run vehicle
costing about HK$5 million ($644,700).
"Battery powered bus is still a new technology," KMB managing
director Ho Tat-man said.
"We still need to collect a lot of operating data from the
frontline for us to do detailed analysis, and to get customer
feedback."
A study by the University of Hong Kong showed pollution-related
illnesses killed more than 3,000 residents a year in the financial
hub, with environmental groups blaming traffic emissions as the
main source of the pollution.
New air quality objectives announced last year for seven pollutants
including sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide were criticised as
too little, too late and in August last year the city choked under
the worst smog on record.
Kwong Sum-yin, Chief Executive Officer of green group Clean Air
Network, told AFP that Hong Kong was lagging behind other parts of
the world in pushing for electric vehicles.
"One bus wouldn't make any difference," she said.
"We can look at other developed cities, such as Singapore and Tokyo
-- there are way more electric vehicles. Even in China, Shenzhen
has electric taxis."
- AFP/ac
CNA
