Electric car chargers in Hong Kong: types, locations, and installation costs

The SAR government sets a goal to stop registering any new petrol vehicles and hybrid cars by 2035. Instead, electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to keep with the global energy-saving trend to reduce exhaust emissions. That said, a number of drivers are still concerned about the distribution of electric car charging stations in Hong Kong prior to buying one. Unlike in the West, most drivers here don't have the option to install a home electric car charger inside their garage. That's why it is a major consideration for owning an EV in Hong Kong. 

As electric cars in HK become the key trend, let's take a look at how to find EV charging stations, the supply/distribution of EV chargers here, its specifications for installation, as well as related costs. 

How many electric car chargers are available in Hong Kong 

The Environmental Protection Department claims that as of June 2021, Hong Kong provides a total of 4,362 EV charging stations for public use. These include 2,000 semi-quick charging stations and 702 quick-charging stations. Based on the Transport Department's number of registered electric cars as of May 2021, right now, there is a total of about 21,161 EVs in the SAR. In other words, one electric car charger is shared between five cars. 

Public electric car charger distribution (based on the numbers published in June, 2021)

*Source: Transportation Department (Public EV charger locations) 

Besides the shortage of EV chargers in Hong Kong, their distribution is also uneven. According to the figures published by the Environmental Protection Department at the end of June, there are as many as 827 charging stations in Kwun Tong, accounting for nearly 25% of the total EV chargers in Hong Kong. 

Among them, both Goldin Financial International Center (157) and The Quayside (312) alone possess a total of 469 chargers. On the other hand, less than 60 chargers are available in Tai Po, Tuen Mun, and the Southern District.

Currently, 1,460 electric car chargers, or about one-third of the total chargers, are standard charging stations. They use household charging cables and usually take up to two days to fully recharge your car. This is equivalent to a semi-quick charger's average of 4 hours of charging and a quick charger's 1 hour of charging. As you can see, standard chargers are much slower and rarely used by drivers.

Where to find EV charging stations

CLP Power

CLP has set up 54 semi-quick and quick EV chargers across major areas in Kowloon, New Territories, and Lantau, providing a total of 161 chargers. It will offer free EV charging services until the end of 2021.

HK Electric

HK Electric offers free-to-use electric car chargers in various districts on Hong Kong Island. These include a total of 12 multi-purpose chargers, semi-quick, and quick charging stations.

E-charge

E-charge has set up electric car chargers in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Territories for their members to use. Most of them are free, but some require payment and reservation.

Transportation Department (EV charger locations) 

Every once in a while, the Transportation Department provides updates on its website of the latest number of chargers, as well as their types, charging speed, and locations in every district. 

Hong Kong government's electric vehicle policies

In the “Roadmap on the Popularization of Electric Vehicles in Hong Kong” released by the government, its goal is to get at least 150,000 parking spaces in private residential and commercial buildings equipped with electric car chargers by 2025. To subsidize this initiative, the government rolled out measures, such as the HKD $2 billion "EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme", which came out in October 2020. 

In terms of public charging facilities, it has also allocated HKD $120 million to implement a three-year plan. Hong Kong hopes to gradually increase the number of chargers in government parking lots to 1,800 by 2022. As of March 2021, the government has already installed 547 chargers, and the remaining chargers are expected to be installed in 2021 or 2022.

Continue reading: Tesla's insurance costs, maintenance costs, and charging stations distribution

Tesla expands its supercharger network in Hong Kong

When it comes to searching for chargers, more so than drivers of any other EVs, Tesla drivers have the greatest flexibility. First of all, the brand currently has 30 supercharging stations in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories. These provide 154 superchargers and more than 500 public Tesla Wall Connector or wall-mounted chargers. 

These superchargers can charge up to 120kWh, or take about 30 minutes to fully charge half of the vehicle, which will be enough to travel over 270 kilometers. That said, if you want to use chargers from other brands, an adapter is all you need. However, the same cannot be done for other EVs brands to Tesla's chargers. 

CEO Elon Musk recently revealed that Tesla plans to open up its network of supercharging stations to non-Tesla EVs within this year. Still, it likely won't be implemented in Hong Kong in the short term.

In addition, Tesla announced that starting from August 3rd, at all V3 Supercharging stations across Hong Kong, fees during non-peak hours (i.e. 9:01 pm to 8:00 am daily) will be reduced from HKD $3.1kWh (peak hours) to HKD $1.55/kWh. It's hoping to relieve the influx of people queuing for chargers during certain times of the day. 

Continue reading: Tesla Model Y prices in Hong Kong, One-for-One Replacement Scheme, specifications, and arrival date

Electric car charger installation process and costs

Few Hong Kongers have the option to install an electric car charger in their garage. If you're one of those lucky few, here's what you can do. First, discuss with your building owner, management company, or owners' corporation that you'd like an electric car charger installed at your building. After reaching a consensus, they can hire a registered electrical contractor for it.

Once the installation is complete, it'll need a power supply. You can apply for a power supply by submitting relevant information to HK Electric. This includes the estimated power consumption, electrical installation wiring diagrams, and proposed power supply locations. After evaluating whether the EV charger specifications can meet the charging requirements, HK Electric will decide whether to supply electricity.

Do you live in a private residential building? Consider participating in the "EV-charging at Home Subsidy Scheme" mentioned in our previous article. To complement this scheme, CLP Power has also launched the "Eco Charge 2.0" EV charging support service. It provides technical support services for those planning to install a charging station, such as:

• Free preliminary assessment services and written assessment results for power supply capacity for owners' corporations and management companies.
• Professional advice on upgrading the power supply of the building and the grid planning of the parking lot to meet the technical requirements of CLP Power.

• Electricity meter installation recommendations.