Can we use smart grid technology to benefit the use of electric vehicles in Hong Kong?

Abstract

In order to pursuit a more eco-friendly lifestyle, many changes are being done to our daily life. One of these changes is the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). These zero emission and electricity driven vehicles have been proved to be effective in reducing roadside air pollution and green house gas emission. Not only are they able to assist in pollution reduction, EVs can also utilize renewable energy resources, making them much greener than conventional gasoline vehicles. The Hong Kong government has been promoting the adoption of EVs since 2010. They have been providing different kinds of incentives, such as tax exemptions and subsidies to companies for conducting EV trails. The government want to attract more people or companies to adopt EVs. Despite efforts of the government, EV is yet to be a significant kind of vehicle in Hong Kong. In my dissertation, I suggested a new way of promotion for EV adoption: integration of smart grid technology and EVs. The current smart grid technology development in Hong Kong is at a very primitive stage, there is a lot of space for improvement. For my study, I had conducted an opinion survey on people’s perception of both EV adoption and the introduction of smart grid. The survey results showed the top three reasons for people not to buy EVs are high price, insufficient range & battery capacity, and insufficient EV chargers. More importantly, the survey showed the willingness to purchase EVs increased from 23% at the current situation to 56% with smart grid being applied widely. From this result, I concluded that the use of smart grid technology would increase people’s willingness to purchase EV. Based on these results, I have suggested the government and electricity companies should focus future EV promotion in the following areas: solution to range anxiety of people, smart grid technology in Hong Kong, dynamic electricity tariff system, integration of renewable energy into generation fuel mix and development on V2G application. At the end of my paper, I have given out some possible ways of improvement for the government to better its EV promotion policies in the future. The suggested improvements are focused on specific subsidy schemes for EV upgrades, regulations for EV charger use and construction, and development of a steering committee for smart grid adoption. Possible topics for future studies base on this paper are also suggested in the ending chapter.