HONG KONG – Besides choosing to live or work in buildings that have environmental-friendly features to cut carbon emissions through slashing energy consumption, the way we drive can also help cutting carbon emissions which is desperately needed to combat the growing extremity of global climate.
In 2019, Hong Kong’s transportation sector was the second-largest source of carbon emissions in the city, accounting for about 18 percent of total carbon emissions, according to the special administrative region’s Climate Action Plan 2050. Among different vehicle categories, private cars accounted for 4.5 percent of the emissions.
So more people are driving electric vehicles (EVs), substituting traditional fuel-propelled vehicles. It is a small move to fight climate change. But this move can also cement a new business value chain arising from the promotion of electric vehicles in the decarbonization drive.
The entire value chain would create new job opportunities in areas like town planning, mobile applications, electrical engineering and EV battery recycling.
According to data from the Environmental Protection Department, there were 33,214 EVs running on the road as at end-June this year, accounting for 3.6 percent of the total vehicles. However, there were only 5,046 EV chargers in all of the city’s 18 districts. It is clear more EV chargers are needed. Smart-city town planning consultancy services therefore will be in demand in the future when the government will need to consider the factors of wiring connection, safety precautions and securing power supply at designing spaces for installing EV charging facilities.
RELATED ARTICLES
Even with the installation of EV chargers, the popularity of EV charging would depend on the interoperability and interconnectivity of technology. The SAR government should encourage enterprises to launch mobile apps that can consolidate information about all the city’s public and private EV chargers. When drivers can be more flexible in EV charging, they might switch to EVs. And in the process, more job opportunities will be created for technology startups related to smart mobility.
The development of EV industry in Hong Kong will also generate demand for a new breed of technology expertise in engineering. Repairing and maintenance of EVs require a new skillset of power electronics and electrical engineering which is completely different from conventional mechanical engineering. When global EV manufacturers have begun allowing third-party access to their software and diagnostic systems, as well as revealing their repair manuals and other servicing and parts documents and information, the demand for talents in electrical, power and chemical engineering expertise is set to rise.
EV battery recycling would create another industry value chain. EV suppliers have engaged licensed collectors to collect expired batteries of their vehicles. After proper preliminary treatment, such as sorting, discharging, insulating and packaging, expired batteries are exported to treatment facilities overseas for recycling. This means Hong Kong needs professionals who can handle the highly complicated and technical process of retiring EV batteries.
The SAR government is poised to invest HK$240 billion in various initiatives in the next two decades to tackle climate change pledging carbon neutrality by 2050. In the process of combating climate change through promoting green transport, the city can also diversify its economy through creating new business value chains.
Oswald Chan is a veteran business journalist and joined China Daily as a senior business news reporter in 2010. He covers various issues pertinent to the development of Hong Kong economy. He can be reached at oswald@chinadailyhk.com .
HONG KONG – Besides choosing to live or work in buildings that have environmental-friendly features to cut carbon emissions through slashing energy consumption, the way we drive can also help cutting carbon emissions which is desperately needed to combat the growing extremity of global climate.