Given the battery life of electric vehicles at present, buses in addition to motorcycles are priorities of the government's electric vehicle promotion, Premier Mao Chi-kuo stated today while visiting RAC Electric Vehicles Inc. The government hopes to gradually replace all non-electric city buses with electric ones nationwide.
The reduction of carbon emissions can no longer be delayed, Mao emphasized.
Electric vehicles' capabilities, quality and availability must still be enhanced and their costs lowered, the premier pointed out. Moreover, bus operators' enthusiasm for such vehicles must be increased through incorporation of the Internet of Vehicles, so that operators actively embrace electric buses rather than merely being willing to accept them. Various commuter vehicles that travel fixed routes and fixed distances can be targeted for employment of electric vehicles, he added.
The premier tasked Minister without Portfolio Yan Hong-sen to oversee the project, while a cross-ministerial task force consisting of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications and Environmental Protection Administration shall formulate clear policy measures, enlarge the scope of pilot projects and formulate plans to make inroads to international markets.
With regard to strategies for international market entry, the premier pointed out that operators must not view themselves as mere component manufacturers; instead, they must strive to make their manufacturing service-oriented by forming intelligent platforms, creating complete service models oriented toward electric vehicles, making use of big data and cloud technology, integrating online networks, advancing from the manufacturing end toward the transportation service end, and getting hold of the entire value chain rather than just being a single chain link.
Separation of vehicles and batteries is the future development direction for competitive pricing in the electric vehicle industry, Mao remarked. One option is battery rental, which drastically reduces the cost for a one-time-only user. Rights and responsibilities of the battery user could also be delineated.
The premier asked the various ministries to ponder how to form a recycling system and power-storage facilities for used batteries so that recycled batteries can still have value in the overall energy supply chain.