The International Competition on Second Life for Retired Batteries from Electric Vehicles concluded successfully today (June 25) at the Science Park with the holding of the championship competition and the prize award ceremony. Teams of finalists were commended at the ceremony for their innovative ideas and team spirit.

     Launched by the Environment Bureau (ENB) in August 2016, the Competition aimed to help identify innovative and practical second-life applications for retired batteries from electric vehicles (EVs).

     Speaking at the prize award ceremony, the Acting Secretary for the Environment, Ms Christine Loh, said, "As EVs have zero tailpipe emissions, the Government has taken various measures in promoting the use of EVs in place of their conventional counterparts to help improve roadside air quality. With the popularity of EVs in recent years, the increase in number of retired EV batteries has become a subject of concern. Since the retired EV batteries still have 70 per cent to 80 per cent of electricity storage capacity, they should have ample potential for second life applications. The Competition today would help raise the awareness of the issue."

     The Competition was divided into an Open Group and a Student Group, and attracted more than 50 participating teams from eight countries or cities, namely Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong. There were six awards in each group, namely the best originality award, the best viability award, the best value and impact award, the second runner-up award, the first runner-up award and the champion award.

     The judging panel, comprising well-known local and international experts from academia and industry, was impressed by the innovative ideas of the 10 finalist teams. The panel found that the awarded entries were inspiring in their originality, viability and value as well as their potential impact on the environment.

     A list of winners and the abstracts of their entries will be available at the Competition website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/misc/2ndEVbattery/en/).

     In addition to the championship competition, the ENB also held an EV seminar and an EV exhibition at the Science Park today to help promote Hong Kong as an international EV city. The exhibition displayed the latest models of electric buses, light buses, light goods vehicles, private cars and mobile charging technology available in the market. It also highlighted the current practice for vehicle manufacturers to handle retired batteries and recycling strategies along with their EVs in the exhibition. During the seminar, speakers from various EV stakeholders including the Government, vehicle manufacturers, an industry support organisation and licensed battery collectors shared their vision of the future for EVs and strategies for handling retired EV batteries.

     EVs have gained popularity worldwide in recent years due to their lack of tailpipe emissions. The Government has taken various measures in promoting the use of EVs in place of their conventional counterparts to help improve roadside air quality. The EV fleet has grown exponentially in Hong Kong, from less than 100 at the end of 2010 to almost 11 000 at the end of April 2017, representing an increase by almost 110 times in the past seven years.

Ends/Sunday, June 25, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:55

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