Government to refine land lease conditions for petrol filling stations to support transition to electric or other new energy vehicles
The Chief Executive in Council today (July 11) endorsed the refinements to the land lease conditions for petrol filling station (PFS) with a view to facilitating Hong Kong's transition to electric or other new energy vehicles.
The key refinements to the land lease conditions for PFS are:
- offering suitable incentives for the current PFS operators to retrofit e-vehicle (EV) charging facilities;
- shortening the tenure of the new leases for PFSs from 21 to 12 years;
- granting conditional short-term renewal of expired/expiring leases subject to provision of Quick Charging Stations (QCSs) at the PFSs; and
- enabling the Government to impose a price cap on the charging of e-commercial vehicles (e-CVs).
The Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles, Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong 2035, and Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, all issued in 2021, set out the policy directions and targets for different initiatives towards the goals of zero vehicular emissions and carbon neutrality before 2050. Green transport is a key element to meet these goals.
A Government spokesman said, "Among other initiatives, we will cease new registration of fuel-propelled private cars (including hybrid vehicles) in 2035 or earlier. In light of the changing market condition and shifting demands, the Government has reviewed the prevailing land lease policy for PFSs, which also cover QCSs under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, to ensure adequate and reliable supply of auto-fuels as well as electric charging service."
The Government has been adopting a multipronged approach to build up a comprehensive and spatially distributed quick charging network for EVs, in particular e-CVs like e-taxis and e-public light buses. The refinements to the land lease conditions will help make more effective use of available space within the about 180 PFSs scattered all over Hong Kong to serve EVs.
The spokesman added, "The refinements will facilitate the transition to green transport and offer opportunities for exploring the viability of the 'single site, multiple use' model."
Relevant government bureaux and departments are working on the implementation details, and will continue to keep in touch with stakeholders like current operators of PFSs on the retrofitting works. The Environment and Ecology Bureau will brief the Environmental Affairs Panel of the Legislative Council later this year.
Issued at HKT 16:00