The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has imposed a quota on manufacturers for the sale of electric scooters, to promote the use of these more environmentally-friendly vehicles. The quota became effective yesterday.
EPA officials said sales of electric scooters would have to account for at least 2 percent of total sales for scooter manufacturers.
"Zero emission and noise-free electric scooters will enhance the air quality in cities," EPA administrator Tsai Hsun-hsiung (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"As of the end of last year, about 10,000 riders were using electric scooters. We hope for an additional 40,000 riders this year."
"About 20,000 rechargers will also be produced by scooter manufacturers this year, with EPA financial assistance, making things more convenient for riders," Tsai said.
To introduce people to the new vehicle, hundreds of electric scooter riders from 25 counties and cities on the island paraded through downtown Taipei yesterday.
EPA officials said electric scooters, with a top speed of 60km/hr, were suitable for urban commuters. The scooters have a range of about 40km when fully charged.
However, scientists are worried that price will be a problem for would-be buyers. According to the EPA, the regular price for electric scooters is between NT$35,000 and NT$60,000, which is higher than similar models running on gasoline.
Jou Jwo-huei (周卓輝), a professor of material science at National Tsing Hua University, told the Taipei Times the aim of research on electric scooters was reducing weight and lowering prices.
"To popularize electric scooters, establishing a trial area is necessary to illustrate its advantages. These include lower maintenance costs, better air quality and less noise," Jou said. He said that a location such as the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park (科學工業園區管理局) was a good example.
According to officials at the Hsinchu park, 1.2 percent of riders in the park had chosen electric scooters. The administration is preparing more parking areas to promote their use.
"We believe the electric scooter is a product which combines high technology with environmental protection. About 20 percent of parking space in the park will be equipped with rechargers by the end of April," said Hsu Ju-hsun
However, while the EPA is trying its best to promote electric scooters in Taiwan, electric cars have been criticized in advanced countries for their cost and poor performance compared with conventional cars.
A Science article in 1995 suggested that electric vehicle technology had the advantage of producing no air pollution at the point of use, but switched the location of environmental damage to areas where battery factories were located.
The authors of the report, Lester Lave, Chris Hendrickson and Francis McMichael from Carnegie Mellon University in the US, focused on the environmental consequences of producing and reprocessing large quantities of batteries to power electric cars.
"Even with incremental improvements in lead-acid battery technology and tighter controls on smelters and lead reprocessors, producing and recycling these batteries would discharge large quantities of lead into the environment," the authors wrote.
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