The Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) draft subsidy plan for consumers planning to purchase electric scooters has sparked controversy among environmental campaigners and scooter manufacturers, who said that the plan could be aimed at benefiting the maker and buyers of high-end Gogoro scooters.
The EPA’s proposal would offer scooter owners who replace their old, two-stroke models with heavy-duty electric scooters before the end of this year a one-time subsidy of NT$8,000, after providing the EPA with the requisite documentation.
Those who purchase a heavy-duty electric model while keeping their old scooters would receive NT$5,000, the draft says.
Consumers who buy a lighter electric scooters would receive NT$6,000 if they discard their old scooters, and NT$3,000 if they decide to keep their current model.
The draft proposes that local-government-level environmental protection agencies should also give consumers buying electric scooters a subsidy of no less than 30 percent of the amount granted by the EPA.
That would mean that people who purchase a heavy-duty electric scooter could receive between NT$6,500 and NT$10,400, while those buying lighter models could receive between NT$3,900 and NT$7,800.
Manufacturers of light scooters last week decried the proposal at a public hearing, saying the differences in the suggested subsidies are “unfair” and could hurt their business. At present, Gogoro is the only manufacturer in the nation whose products fit the definition of “heavy-duty” scooters, they said.
Taiwan Electric Vehicles Development Association director Yang Shu-chiang (楊樹江) said about 2 million two-stroke scooters are in use nationwide.
Most people who ride these scooters do so because they cannot afford new ones, he said.
A heavy-duty scooter such as Gogoro’s is targeted at wealthier people, and the EPA should not propose a policy that only benefits the rich, he said.
The EPA should offer a bigger subsidy to people who buy light-duty electric models, which usually cost between NT$20,000 and 30,000, if it wants to encourage the public to get rid of older scooters.
Taiwan Water Resources Protection Union director Jennifer Nien (粘麗玉) said the plan is aimed at reducing air pollution caused by scooters, but it would offer subsidies even to those who refuse to discard their old scooters. That defeats the purpose of the subsidy, she said.
The EPA dismissed speculation that its proposal would unduly benefit Gogoro, saying that it would not favor “certain companies.”
EPA official Hu Ming-hui (胡明輝) said that people who use traditional heavy-duty scooters are more likely to purchase heavy-duty electric scooters.
The EPA plans to hold another public hearing on its proposal, he said.
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