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.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai