The government plans to invest NT$30 billion (US$972.4 million) to support the development of the electric-bus industry to help achieve its goal of having an all-electric bus fleet by 2030, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Huang Yu-lin (黃玉霖) told an industry forum on Tuesday.
Huang did not say how the funds would be channeled.
The government hopes that international companies will partner with Taiwanese firms to overcome technical obstacles to the development of the electric-vehicle market, such as extending electric vehicles’ battery life, he said.
Huang was speaking at the International New Energy Vehicle Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan, the ministry, the Industrial Development Bureau, the Environmental Protection Administration and the European Economic and Trade Office.
Developing intelligent transportation systems is one of the government’s major policies, along with promoting the development of e-buses as well as electric scooters and motorcycles, bureau Secretary-General Chen Pei-li (陳佩利) said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs would continue helping automotive and spare parts makers collaborate with companies in the telecommunications, electronics manufacturing and mobile services sectors to create more innovative business models, Chen said.
It would also help automotive and spare part manufacturers transform and upgrade their operations to implement automation, Chen added.
In other news, the Danhai Light Rail Transit system is commemorating the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Tamsui, a major battle in the Sino-French War, with a history-themed train and collectible one-day passes, available from today.
A total of 1,884 limited-edition sets containing an embossed one-day pass and commemorative postcard are to go on sale for NT$99 at Hongshulin Station and on New Taipei Metro Corp’s Web site, the company said.
People who buy the pass would be granted free entry to an event at the station, where they can dress up in Qing-era clothing and have their photographs taken during the Double Ten National Holiday long weekend, the company said.
A light-rail train featuring illustrations of the battle is to operate through the end of this month, it added.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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