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.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
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