Government to invest NT$64.3 billion in electric buses

  • Staff writer, with CNA

The government will invest NT$64.3 billion into the electrification of city buses, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said Thursday.

The government aims for all city buses in the country to be electric by 2030, but there are currently still 9,400 diesel buses in use nationwide, Chen said.

Photo courtesy of Taichung City Government via CNA

The government has been supporting domestic automakers in their development and production of independently designed electric buses, he said, adding that the Ministry of Economic Affairs has expressed the hope that domestically produced buses can be exported in the future.

To meet the goal of electrifying the entire nation’s fleet of city buses within seven years, roughly 1,300 buses would need to be replaced annually, he said.

“It’s a government-wide effort to reach emissions goals. We are subsidizing the industry, and we are also asking local governments to assist bus operators and to promote the electrification of their local fleets,” he said.

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