EVENTS
Event Highlights
The Belt and Road Seminar - The Environmental Benefits and Challenges of Electric Vehicles
2025-01-21
On 21 January, the Maritime Silk Road Society organized “The Belt and Road Seminar - The Environmental Benefits and Challenges of Electric Vehicles” at the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building in North Point. Dr Ringo Lee, a renowned professional and academic of the automobile industry, was invited to share his insights on the benefits and challenges of electric vehicles (EVs).
Dr Lee firstly introduced the basic structure of an EV and its charging method, as well as the relationship between vehicles and sustainable energy. He pointed out that although battery is a new energy source for vehicles, it is not yet able to achieve the goal of ‘zero emission’, and he hoped that it could be truly “carbon neutral” in the future. He recognized that the growing global focus on carbon reduction and sustainable energy is driving the growth of the EV market. He further analyzed the major EV markets around the world, the construction of EV charging infrastructure, the affordability of EVs, and the key factors that are driving the development of the EV market.
Speaking on issues related to the use of EVs, he pointed out that the popularity of EVs would create more green job opportunities and enhance the professional skills of vehicle mechanics. With the rapid development of EV battery technology, he suggested that an effective mechanism should be put in place to ensure proper collection and initial treatment of batteries locally, and emphasized that the EV market should be developed according to the domestic characteristics of Hong Kong.
In addition, Dr Lee introduced China's strengths and challenges in the EV market. China's strengths in EV development include targeted policy support, well-established infrastructure and supply chain, market demand and technological innovation in manufacturing. He also mentioned the challenges China is facing in EV development included increased competition with overseas markets and resource constraints. In particular, Dr Lee pointed out the unique advantages of Hong Kong in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which may enhance Hong Kong's overall competitiveness in the transport sector, but may face a possible challenge to its ‘leading’ status in the region.
