Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has said it plans to boost the nation's electric car market in two phases, after a draft plan gained the Cabinet's approval on January 13th.

Under the ministry's blueprint, the government will initially target public transportation through the use of 3,000 electric cars, the ministry said in a statement issued on the same day.

Replacements

The government will first urge the public sector and state-run enterprises to replace their ­petrol-­powered vehicles with ­battery-powered models, the ministry said, adding that Chunghwa Post Co. would the first state-run enterprise to make the move.

As for the second-phase plan, which will offer tax cuts and cash subsidies to the general public to popularize green vehicles, the government will make a decision on the size of subsidies pending on the government's financial conditions.

Rebates

The ministry did not say when it would start to provide subsidies to consumers. However, last week Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang already dismissed a rumored cash rebate of NT$ 500,000 (US$ 15,700) per car, after a Chinese-language daily reported the government might provide rebates of between NT$ 100,000 and NT$ 500,000 per car.

The ministry's statement came after Premier Wu Den-yih was briefed during a meeting by various government agencies on the nation's development plans for four emerging industries, including the green industry.

Certificate

Yulon Group's Luxgen-brand electric passenger vehicle was the first manufacturer in Taiwan to receive the government's vehicle safety certificate on December 16th, the statement said, citing Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chih-kuo, who also joined the meeting.

The Luxgen-brand EV+ vehicle is expected to receive the ­government-approved license plate next month, Mao said, adding that his ministry is considering designing a different vehicle plate especially for electric cars.

The Luxgen EV+ is powered by lithium-ion batteries, different from existing hybrids powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries.

Motorbikes

Wu also agreed yesterday to a separate plan proposed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to promote the use of electric motorbikes on outlying islands, to turn those places into "zero-­pollution, low-carbon islands," after Penghu County last year proposed making Hujing Island the nation's first low-carbon island by promoting electric motorcycles.

Moreover, Wu told the ministries that Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County could consider using electric yachts to woo tourists while reducing pollution in the lake area.