Government vehicles in Taipei City will take the lead in using E3 ethanol gasoline from next month as part of efforts to promote clean energy, an official of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
Bureau of Energy Director-General Yeh Huey-ching (
He also encouraged the public to use E3 ethanol gasoline, which will be available at eight gas stations in Taipei run by the state-owned oil company CPC Corp, Taiwan (
The announcement came one day after Yeh delivered a report on energy conservation and the development of biofuels at a Cabinet meeting.
Yeh said that the government had launched a plan to promote the public use of B1 bio-diesel in Taoyuan and Chiayi counties last month.
Under the plan, B1 bio-diesel and B2 bio-diesel will be available nationwide by next year and 2010 respectively, Yeh said, predicting that 100,000 kiloliters of the fuel would be consumed annually in Taiwan by that time.
Furthermore, Yeh said that, starting in 2009, all gas stations in Taipei City and Kaohsiung City will sell E3 ethanol gasoline.
From 2011, gas stations nationwide will provide E3 ethanol gasoline, Yeh said.
Yeh predicted that 100,000 kiloliters of the clean fuel would be made available annually, which he said would be enough for 44,000 cars.
Separately, the Industrial Development Bureau will promote the development of the nation's vehicle electronics industry in an effort to help the industry achieve annual output of NT$300 billion (US$9.08 billion) by 2015, a bureau official said yesterday.
The bureau will invite cooperation from local companies in whole vehicle manufacturing, information technology, communications and optronics, in order to help them develop electronics products for vehicles for the global market.
Through industry integration and technological assistance, the bureau will help local firms in developing their own electronics products for vehicles.
The bureau will also improve product inspection and the testing environment and methods for local firms and help them join international exhibitions to attract foreign buyers.
The global vehicle electronics industry's annual output is expected to reach US$166.4 billion by 2009, the official said.
The official said the industry, which aims to make cars safer, "smarter," and more environmentally friendly, includes a wide variety of specialties, such as driver information systems, vehicle bodies, and security and safety.
Taiwan has a good chance of becoming a global leader in the industry because it enjoys advantages in information and communications technology, the official said.
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