LCQ21: Electric vehicle charging facilities in government premises
29.11.2023

Following is a question by the Hon Lai Tung-kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, in the Legislative Council today (November 29): Question: The Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address that about 7 000 additional parking spaces with electric vehicle charging facilities ("charging facilities") would be provided in government premises by 2025. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) whether it is the Government's policy to provide charging facilities in all government premises with spaces available for vehicle parking; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; (2) of the current total number of parking spaces in government premises across the territory, and the number of parking spaces in government premises already provided with charging facilities before the announcement of the provision of charging facilities for the aforesaid some 7 000 parking spaces; (3) of the estimated expenditure for the provision of charging facilities for the aforesaid some 7 000 parking spaces, as well as the actual expenditure incurred so far; (4) of (i) the number of parking spaces in government premises which have been provided with charging facilities so far, and (ii) the number of parking spaces with charging facilities in government premises upon completion of the work to provide charging facilities for the aforesaid some 7 000 parking spaces, with a tabulated breakdown by the types of government premises and parking spaces (i.e. those for private cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles); (5) given that at the meeting of the Subcommittee to Study Issues Relating to the Development of Electric Vehicles of this Council on May 11, 2020, the Government indicated that the major difficulties in installing quick chargers at existing government premises were the high costs and the enormous space required, whether all the charging facilities for the aforesaid some 7 000 parking spaces are medium chargers; if so, whether it has plans to install additional quick chargers; if not all the charging facilities are medium chargers, of the respective numbers of medium and quick chargers among such charging facilities; and (6) whether civil servants using the charging facilities at parking spaces in government premises are required to pay for the charging services; if so, of the fees charged; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, To work towards Hong Kong's goal of achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, the Government has been striving to promote green transport, for which relevant charging facilities are indispensable. As the Chief Executive mentioned in his 2023 Policy Address, the Government strives to expand the network of electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities, and aims to increase the number of public and private parking spaces with charging infrastructure to about 200 000 by mid-2027. This includes the provision of EV chargers at an additional 7 000 parking spaces in government buildings, as the Chief Executive announced in his 2022 Policy Address, in order to take the lead in providing charging facilities in government premises to dovetail with the development of green transport. My reply to the question raised by the Hon Lai is as follows: (1) The Government updated the Joint Circular on Green Government Buildings in March 2023, stipulating that all parking spaces for private cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles (whether indoors or outdoors) within the boundaries of newly built government buildings with tender documents issued on or after April 1, 2023 must be fully equipped with medium EV chargers. As for existing government buildings, where technically feasible, efforts would be taken to provide EV charging facilities for all parking spaces for private cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles. (2) According to the data provided by the Transport Department, as at September 2023, the total number of parking spaces (including public and ancillary parking spaces) in Government premises was around 72 500. Furthermore, at the announcement of the provision of EV chargers at an additional 7 000 parking spaces in government buildings in "The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address", about 2 200 public parking spaces in government buildings were equipped with EV chargers, and about 690 parking spaces designated for the government fleet were equipped with EV chargers. (3) To achieve the target of 7 000 additional EV charging parking spaces, relevant departments will increase the number of EV chargers in government buildings under construction or planning, so long as the provision is technically feasible and will not affect the progress of the works. Expenditures involved will depend on the specific circumstances of individual projects, and the number of parking spaces to be equipped with EV chargers in respective buildings are still under planning and possible adjustments. Hence, the Environmental Protection Department does not have relevant information. (4) As at September 2023, about 2 550 public parking spaces in government buildings were equipped with EV chargers in Hong Kong. In addition, around 730 parking spaces designated for the government fleet were equipped with EV chargers. Upon completing the installation of EV charging facilities at the additional 7 000 parking spaces as mentioned above, more than 10 000 parking spaces in government buildings in Hong Kong will be equipped with charging facilities. The majority will be parking spaces for private cars. As the implementation is still in progress, the exact number of parking spaces to be equipped with EV chargers in each government building has yet to be confirmed. The usage of parking spaces will also be decided by respective departments in the future based on their operational needs. Therefore, the Government cannot provide a detailed breakdown. (5) The abovementioned 7 000 chargers are mainly medium chargers. As for quick chargers, the Joint Circular on Green Government Buildings updated in March 2023 stipulates that, for new car parks having no less than 100 parking spaces, a minimum of two quick chargers with output power no less than 100 kW shall be set up to support EVs for quick top-ups. As for government buildings under construction or planning, departments will make reference to relevant guidelines and consider providing more medium and quick chargers in car parks if technically feasible. (6) The Government will progressively marketise EV charging services in government car parks from end-2023, and impose charging fees on users. Regarding EV chargers in other government buildings, on the basis that the normal operation of the government fleet will not be affected, respective departments can take into account the actual operational circumstances and needs of the car parks under their management, and consider opening up the EV chargers for different users, including civil servants. Charging fees should be determined based on the "user pays" principle.