0		Hong Kong, electric cars

After the popular launch of the first Hong Kong-made electric cars, CLP Power, a local power generator in Hong Kong, has launched its free charging stations for electric vehicles in the city. If you own one of those highly-touted environmentally-friendly cars, you simply have to go to The Link's Lung Cheung Plaza car park in Wong Tai Sin and Wilson Parking's Fu Shing Building car park in Yuen Long. You can avail of the free charging until the end of next year. As of this writing, I am not sure if charging these cars is not possible using typical electrical outlets.

In addition to the two recently launched "fuel stations", CLP Power will be setting up 19 more stations to be managed by The Link property management and Wilson Parking.

It sounds appealing that CLP Power, along with the managing companies anticipated the popularity of electric cars in Hong Kong. Right now, I imagine there are only a handful of these cars compared to the conventional vehicles that need diesel, LPG or gasoline to keep them going. With the electric charging scheme an added advantage, if you consider it one, is that drivers can spend time shopping or go to a restaurant while his or her car is being charged.

Of course, as with most private services in Hong Kong, these charging stations will charge drivers in 2011 - HK$6 (70 US cents) for two hours - which is good enough to travel 25 kilometers and will be payable using Octopus card.

CLP Power estimates that electric vehicles would be 70 percent cheaper in terms of energy costs. On daily travel of 50 kilometres, the estimated annual saving is HK$8,033 (US$1,036).

However, there's a big catch. Knowing the CLP Power has been a polluter itself in Hong Kong and is in fact third in Asia as of 2007 studies, does it deserve the eco-friendly praise? Should CLP Power increase its capacity to accommodate more electric vehicles in the future, as such increase may only bring more woes. Unless the firm changes the method of generating power in the city, it's more media mileage and public relations stunt rather than caring for the environment.