Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) Chairman Stanley Lau Chin-ho and Andrew Yung, chairman and CEO of Green Dynamic Electric Vehicle, pose on Monday in front of the first locally developed electric bus in Hong Kong. The low-emission buses were manufactured on the mainland under a HK$40 million HKPC project. The first batch of electric buses are expected to hit Hong Kong roads before the end of next year. Edmond Tang 

 

The city's 7 million people may not have to suffer notoriously toxic bus exhaust anymore as Hong Kong's first-ever locally designed electric bus is expected to appear on its roads next year at the earliest.

 

Hong Kong Productivity Council on Monday said it would start a month-long road test for the new vehicle before it comes into commercial use.

 

The single-decker bus, estimated to cost HK$4 million, can accommodate 75 people and run for 380 kilometers when fully charged. The cost is said to be twice that of a conventional diesel bus.

 

The bus is also equipped with a remote diagnosis system. This can transmit real-time data to the bus company for maintenance and fleet arrangement.

 

Lawrence Cheung, general manager of the council's Automotive and Electronic Division and Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Center, said that zero-emission vehicles can reduce traffic-related air pollution by 80 percent.

 

But the government still needs to build a considerable number of charge points, which could cost HK$200,000 each. Currently, Hong Kong has 1,200 charging stations across 18 districts for about 3,000 electric private cars.

 

The government earlier offered a subsidy of HK$180 million to franchised bus companies to buy 36 single-decker buses for a trial run that will start at the end of the year.

 

The bus, weighing 10 to 13 percent less than existing electric cars, can last 20 to 66 percent longer than ordinary buses. It was previously tested for nine months in Chongqing. This is a city with similar geographical features and a similar climate to Hong Kong.

 

Chairman and CEO of Green Dynamic Electric Vehicle Andrew Yung, who sponsored half of the HK$3.8 million project, said once the bus was cleared for use in Hong Kong, it could be suitable for anywhere in the world. Southeast Asia will be next, said Yung.

Yung said the cost of the bus will be much lower once it goes into mass production. This is because the key technology is owned by Hong Kong experts.

 

The company has been holding talks with local bus companies. Each bus can be specially adapted for different routes as they may require different amounts of energy in order to run.

 

The council is also working on an electric double-decker bus, which will consume more electricity by extending the air conditioning to the upper level.

 

The bus, likely to be assembled across the border, can reach 70 kilometers per hour in 20 seconds. But full charging will take four hours.

 

The road test will be carried out at challenging places in Hong Kong like Mid-Levels.