Taxis are one of the main modes of public transportation in Hong Kong. The HKSAR government published Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 in October 2021. As such, Hong Kong has a series of climate change initiatives, including net-zero electricity generation, reducing carbon footprint, and promoting energy savings. To this end, these initiatives may achieve the dual goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization in 2030 and 2060, respectively. At the beginning, this chapter points out the key challenges and opportunities of electric vehicle development in Hong Kong. Then, electric taxis are used as an illustrative case study to summarize the roadmap for the penetration of electric taxis in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the present research aims to identify licensed taxi owner intentions to purchase electric vehicles for operational use and to investigate the driving behavior of taxi drivers in Hong Kong. To address the research objectives, we carried out in-street interviews with 250 taxi drivers in Hong Kong. It was found that the waiting time to charge (i.e., time of queuing) and the time of charging are the key concerns for taxi drivers to determine whether to change from diesel to electric taxis. The government may provide an operating subsidy or other incentives for the taxi drivers to operate electric taxis. Based on the research findings, the implications for public policies in the future are further discussed. A step-by-step and continual promotion strategy is suggested to align with emission reduction goals and facilitate the shift from conventional taxis to electric taxis in Hong Kong. The examinations of numerous factors and the interest of various stakeholders in the local community are recommended as well.

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Adoption of Electric Taxis in Hong Kong: Challenges and Opportunities

  • Yui-Yip Lau,
  • Yang Andrew Wu

摘要

Taxis are one of the main modes of public transportation in Hong Kong. The HKSAR government published Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 in October 2021. As such, Hong Kong has a series of climate change initiatives, including net-zero electricity generation, reducing carbon footprint, and promoting energy savings. To this end, these initiatives may achieve the dual goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization in 2030 and 2060, respectively. At the beginning, this chapter points out the key challenges and opportunities of electric vehicle development in Hong Kong. Then, electric taxis are used as an illustrative case study to summarize the roadmap for the penetration of electric taxis in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the present research aims to identify licensed taxi owner intentions to purchase electric vehicles for operational use and to investigate the driving behavior of taxi drivers in Hong Kong. To address the research objectives, we carried out in-street interviews with 250 taxi drivers in Hong Kong. It was found that the waiting time to charge (i.e., time of queuing) and the time of charging are the key concerns for taxi drivers to determine whether to change from diesel to electric taxis. The government may provide an operating subsidy or other incentives for the taxi drivers to operate electric taxis. Based on the research findings, the implications for public policies in the future are further discussed. A step-by-step and continual promotion strategy is suggested to align with emission reduction goals and facilitate the shift from conventional taxis to electric taxis in Hong Kong. The examinations of numerous factors and the interest of various stakeholders in the local community are recommended as well.