Auto & Environment: EV Numbers and Growth in Hong Kong as of Dec 2015

(Original blog entry on Locky's English Playground)

EV Numbers and Growth in Hong Kong as of Dec 2015 Image from Locky's English Playground

The Transport Department of Hong Kong (TD) has released the finalised figures yesterday and it shows how precise my estimate is. Comparing with my post 2 days ago, the total number of EVs is off by just 1, that is my estimate of 4068 versus TD's 4067. And because the number is only differed by 1, all calculated  percentages about Tesla Model S stay unchanged and accurate.

(For calculations of those percentages, please read my previous post Auto & Environment: EV Numbers and Growth (Estimates) in Hong Kong as of Dec 2015 (Pre-TD Figures).)

In the final quarter of 2015, Hong Kong enjoyed the best EV number increment since EV FRT waiver has been installed in 1994. With three consecutive record-breaking numbers from Oct 2015 to Dec 2015 (352, 437, 504), Hong Kong has added 1293 EVs in this period, or 31.8% of the total EV population in the city in just 3 months. The total number of EV per new vehicle purchase has raised from 12.87% in Oct to 16.26% in Nov and to 17.66% in Dec, which translates to 1 EV in every 6 new vehicles. Indeed, an incredible achievement and victory for all people of Hong Kong! Then again, because EVs only constitute 0.51% of all vehicles in Hong Kong, this victory is only a 0.51% victory. In order for Hong Kong to reach 25.5% of Norway, there is still a long way to go.

A long way, but the best and only way.

Hong Kong has lost its fighting spirit as a leader in Asia or the world for a quite some time, many of those No. 1 status Hong Kong was once proud of are now with Singapore and major cities of China. Now, for once in a very long time, Hong Kong has finally found something that they can be in a leader's position, not only in Asia but in the world, Hong Kong must not easily throw it away this time. As Tesla CEO Elon Musk puts it,

“Hong Kong is a beacon city for electric vehicles, [it can] serve as an example to the rest of the world on what to do, I currently do not foresee any city exceeding Hong Kong. It will be the leader of the world.”

Electric vehicle, battery technology and green energy are the future, and the future starts now. Will Hong Kong continue to embrace EV or will Hong Kong let all EV initiatives end by March 2017 with the expiration EV FRT waiver? "Government is committed to promoting the use of electric vehicles." How committed is the Government? How much effort are they willing to devote to fight climate change?

"When you are talking about losing all of nature, it's not a spectator sport anymore." -- Louie Psihoyos, director of Racing Extinction

Resource:

Auto & Environment: EV Numbers and Growth (Estimates) in Hong Kong as of Dec 2015 (Pre-TD Figures)
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2016/02/auto-environment-ev-numbers-and-growth.html

LCQ9: Exemption of payment of first registration tax for electric vehicles
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201511/04/P201511040377.htm

Norway Begins 2016 With Over 25% Market Share For Plug-In Electric Cars @InsideEVs
http://insideevs.com/norway-begins-2016-with-over-25-market-share-for-plug-in-electric-cars/

Electric Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Oil Markets Within a Decade +Bloomberg Business
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHN6QQWv2g

Budget Speech by the Financial Secretary (3)
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201602/24/P201602240333_print.htm

"Racing Extinction" Official Trailer @ YouTube
https://youtu.be/MwxyrLUdcss