Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD has shut down its proprietary vehicle recharging stations across Hong Kong, as owners of the company’s electric vehicles express concern about the falling value of the cars.
According to Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department, the suspension, from July 15, was a business-motivated decision.
The department told BYD’s customers that owners of the e6 electric vehicle can charge their vehicles at standard vehicle charging stations.
BYD pointed out that a number of e6 vehicles come with the necessary charging cable and customers can also contact BYD to purchase charging cables.
At present, there are about 10 BYD charging stations in Hong Kong. Information from the Transportation Department indicated there are 74 registered BYD electric vehicles in the city.
The customs department stated that if the Trade Descriptions Ordinance is violated, follow-up actions will be taken to investigate.
More than 20 BYD customers expressed their concerns publicly and proposed a paid-charging service, as well as a “Euro” standard charging plug that would allow the BYD vehicles to recharge at public fast-charging stations. The worst-case scenario they proposed would be to have BYD recall all of their electric vehicles. The company has yet to meet with the customers.
The Hong Kong government plans to expand the city’s vehicle charging network. By 2022 an additional 1,000 charging facilities will be put in service.