The Ministry of Economic Affairs sent an encouraging message by retaining its NT$7,000 subsidy for purchases of new electric scooters this year, demonstrating its support for green urban mobility and Taiwan’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
The ministry also increased the subsidy for the purchase of new electric two-wheelers equipped with locally made engines to NT$3,000 from NT$2,000 last year. It had originally planned to gradually lower its incentives on electric scooter purchases, with an aim to allow market mechanisms to lead the industry’s development. The ministry slashed subsidies by 30 percent last year from NT$10,000 in 2019.
The move to retain the subsidy came just in time to save the nation’s wobbling electric scooter industry, which suffered a severe blow from major changes made by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). The ministry still considers the electric scooter industry a rising star, although start-up Gogoro, whose scooters are also deployed in Paris and Madrid, is no longer regarded as a potential unicorn by local equity investors.
The EPA last year scrapped its NT$3,000 subsidy for buying new electric scooters. On top of that, it expanded its NT$5,000 subsidy for consumers who replace their old scooters with an electric one to also include gasoline-powered scooters that meet the government’s Phase 7 emission standards, stripping electric scooter makers of their advantageous position to sell their products. It extended the policy to this year, but slashed the subsidy by 40 percent to NT$3,000.
Environmental campaigners interpreted the EPA’s decision as the government backpedaling on its commitment to push for clean energy and cut carbon emissions by phasing out two-stroke scooters, which are seen as a major source of air pollution in Taiwan. The administration defended the policy, saying that both types of scooters were helpful in improving air quality, given that they emit less carbon than two-stroke scooters.
The EPA’s policy has substantially narrowed the subsidy gap between electric and gasoline-powered scooters, causing a drastic decline in electric scooter sales last year, as most buyers are low-income earners and prone to price adjustments. A mere 90,000 electric two-wheelers were sold last year, dipping 41 percent annually and accounting for less than 1 percent of overall new scooter sales of 1.04 million units. In 2019, sales of new electric scooters occupied a more than 18 percent market share.
Gogoro bore the brunt of the policy shift, with new vehicle sales almost halving to 78,429 last year, compared with 145,678 sold in the previous year. Kwang Yang Motor, which sells its products under the KYMCO brand, was the biggest winner, selling more than 350,000 vehicles last year, thanks to strong demand for Phase 7 gasoline-powered scooters. Kwang Yang last year held a 70 percent market share, securing its top position in the nation’s scooter market for the 21st consecutive year.
To breathe new life into the electric vehicle industry, the ministry last month decided to halt its subsidy cuts, as last year’s sluggish sales indicated it was premature to scale back incentives and the industry is still heavily dependent on government subsidies to grow. The ministry has made the right decision by giving the industry a second chance to grow into a vital export industry.
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
Liberals have wasted no time in pointing to Karol Nawrocki’s lack of qualifications for his new job as president of Poland. He has never previously held political office. He won by the narrowest of margins, with 50.9 percent of the vote. However, Nawrocki possesses the one qualification that many national populists value above all other: a taste for physical strength laced with violence. Nawrocki is a former boxer who still likes to go a few rounds. He is also such an enthusiastic soccer supporter that he reportedly got the logos of his two favorite teams — Chelsea and Lechia Gdansk —
RSS