The EU would be happy to work with Taiwan to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as the nation aims to ensure all new cars and motorcycles are electrically powered by 2040, European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan chief executive Freddie Hoglund said on Tuesday.
Hoglund made the remarks at the EU-Taiwan Electric Vehicle Conference. The chamber is pleased to see the government propose a vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and hopes to partner with local governments and industry to work toward that goal.
On accelerating Taiwan’s shift toward electric vehicles, Hoglund said the EU can offer experience in the development of modules and charging technologies.
Photo: CNA
Hopefully, the government will coordinate with all related sectors to build a comprehensive electric vehicle charging network, he added.
Taiwan’s charging infrastructure should be compliant with international standards, he said.
To accelerate sales of electric vehicles, auto companies should provide a seamless charging experience for drivers, which means cross-ministerial coordination would be integral to the nation’s electric-vehicle transition, Hoglund said.
Some chamber members have experience in the areas of hydrogen energy and energy storage, and would be happy to provide services to help Taiwanese ministries transition smoothly to electric vehicles, he said.
Thomas Jurgensen, deputy director of the European Economic and Trade Office, said electric vehicles are among the solutions to a global fossil-fuel shortage and also an important way to combat climate change.
The European Green Deal aims to make Europe a carbon-neutral continent by 2050, Jurgensen said.
To achieve that goal, the transport sector needs to undergo a transformation, which would require large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
Regarding electric vehicle infrastructure, Jurgensen said the focus should be on charging facilities.
The EU has prepared a 750 billion euros (US$791 billion) stimulus package, of which 20 billion euros would be allocated to the installation of electric vehicle charging stations to increase their number across the EU from 1 million to 60 million, Jurgensen said.
Industrial Development Bureau Director-General Leu Jang-hwa (呂正華) said in a prerecorded video that Taiwan’s automotive electronics output reached NT$295.8 billion (US$9.93 billion) last year, making the nation an important partner in the global automobile supply chain.
Some Taiwanese manufacturing companies are trying to enter the booming electric-vehicle market, Leu said.
For instance, manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) has pushed for the MIH Open Platform to codevelop electric vehicles with international manufacturers.
In March, the government published a road map to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Leu added.
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