Policy Address

promote the use of electric private cars – The first registration tax concession arrangements for electric vehicles have borne fruit. Over 60% of newly registered private cars in the first half of this year were electric. The growth rate is among the fastest in the world. The Government strives to expand the network of charging facilities, and aims to increase the number of public and private parking spaces with charging infrastructure to about 200 000 by mid-2027. To expedite the expansion of the private charging network, the Government will, from the end of this year, marketise the free charging services currently provided in government carparks. The Government will also refine the land lease conditions for petrol-filling stations with a view to offering incentives to retrofit electric vehicle charging facilities in the stations, and convert them into green energy refuel stations in the longer run. To this end, the Government will invite tender in the first quarter of next year for the conversion of two vacant petrol-filling station sites to charging stations; and

formulate the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong – Hydrogen fuel can be used in the fields of transport, power generation and energy storage, as well as construction site equipment. In the field of transport, it is particularly relevant to the green transformation of commercial and heavy goods vehicles. We will formulate the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in the first half of next year, and commence the preparatory work for the necessary legislative amendments pertaining to the production, storage, transportation and application of hydrogen fuel with a view to introducing a bill into the LegCo in 2025.