The Hong Kong Consumer Council announced today (Jan. 15) that it received a total of 179 complaints related to electric vehicles last year, marking an increase from 122 complaints the previous year.
Among the complaints, one case involved a driver who incurred fees up to ten times the normal charging rate for leaving their vehicle idle for 40 minutes after charging. Another complaint highlighted issues with a charging station that abruptly stopped functioning overnight, resulting in over 11 hours of charging but delivering less than 50 kWh.
Ms. Leung, a complainant, charged her electric vehicle at a mid-speed charging station located in a shopping mall. Before charging, she had to download an app and link a payment credit card. After purchasing one hour of charging service, she began charging at 2:17 pm and left at 3:57 pm. Upon checking the app, she saw a total charge of HK$166.2, which included HK$16.2 for the hour of charging. However, the system recorded that she had left the charging station idle for 40 minutes, leading to an idle fee of HK$150, capped at HK$5 per minute. Ms. Leung noted that there were no signs posted at the charging station regarding the idle fees.
Additionally, Mr. Wong, another car owner, reported issues with a charging station set up in his residential parking lot, which he had used over ten times. He purchased a 12-hour overnight charging service for approximately HK$125. However, he discovered the charging unit would unexpectedly stop charging in the middle of the night, requiring him to manually restart it via the app. Upon reviewing his charging records, Mr. Wong found that in mid-May, he charged for 667 minutes but received only 44 kWh, and in late May, 719 minutes resulted in just 41.1 kWh.
Despite these complaints, the government continues to encourage citizens to adopt electric vehicles. As of November 2024, electric private cars accounted for about 17% of all private vehicles, with electric vehicles comprising approximately 70% of newly registered cars. This growth indicates a rising trend in the adoption of electric vehicles, even amidst challenges faced by users.
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