Taiwan to phase out fuel-powered motorcycles

TAIPEI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Facing great air pollution pressure, Taiwan aims to phase out fuel-powered motorbikes by 2035.

With a population of some 23 million, Taiwan is home to about 14 million motorcycles, the highest density of motorcycles in the world.

It is estimated that motorcycles contribute more than 20 percent of PM 2.5 discharge in Taiwan.

In response to concern over air pollution, Taiwan launched a scheme to control pollution at the end of 2017, banning fuel-powered motorcycles by 2035 and fuel-powered cars by 2040.

At the beginning of 2018, the island decided to install 3,310 charging stations over the coming five years.

Currently, there are 1,800 charging stations for electric motorcycles installed and the new facilities will bring the total to around 5,000.

Other incentives to switch to electric motorcycles include subsidies, special license plates, dedicated parking lots and parking discounts.

Among the more than one million motorcycles sold in Taiwan in 2017, only 40,000 were electric. The total on the island is only about 100,000.

A recent survey showed that nearly 60 percent of motorcycle users in Taiwan were willing to shift to electric. Enditem