The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a program to transform Taiwan’s motorbike industry and increase the number of electric motorbikes in the nation by 332,200 by the end of next year by spending NT$3.1 billion (US$98.84 million) on subsidies.
The program would encourage manufacturers to develop electric and low-polluting gasoline-powered motorbikes, and help traditional mechanics learn to repair electric motorbikes, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the government next year would continue to provide NT$7,000 to every person who buys their first electric vehicle, Su said.
Those who also purchase a Taiwan-manufactured electric vehicle battery would receive an additional NT$3,000, he said.
As gasoline-powered motorbikes that are manufactured next year would produce less air pollution, the government would also provide subsidies of between NT$3,000 and NT$5,000 for people who replace their old motorbikes with new ones, he said.
While the budget for electric motorbike subsidies this year is NT$1.75 billion, the budget would be NT$1.37 billion next year, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) said.
The subsidies are expected to increase the number of electric motorbikes by 162,200 by the end of the year, and by an additional 170,000 by the end of next year, the Executive Yuan said.
The government would evaluate the program’s results in 2021 and decide whether to adjust the subsidy amounts, Lin said.
The precise subsidy amount for 2021 would depend on the number of electric motorbikes manufactured and the manufacturing cost of their batteries, he added.
The program also includes a plan to offer training for 10,000 motorbike repair shops from this year to 2022 so that they can offer repair services for electric motorbikes, Lin said.
The classes would also cover skills needed to repair newer models of gasoline-powered motorbikes, the minister added.
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