《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Chunghwa Post to switch bikes for electric scooters

By Cheng Wei-chi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

State-run Chunghwa Post said that it will rent 1,000 electric scooters for its delivery workers, to replace the company’s fleet of Yelang motorcycles, in response to the government’s efforts to promote “green” energy.

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The company said it plans to phase out its entire fleet of 9,000 gasoline-powered motorcycles within seven years. It is estimated that the change could dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Chunghwa Post spokesperson Wang Shu-ming （王淑敏） said the electric scooters are well-suited to urban areas where travel distance sare short and repair and maintenance issues are easily handled, adding that the company will rent the scooters on a trial basis, starting in cities.

The company will use scooters with greater torque and higher-capacity batteries to avoid issues for workers, Wang said.

The scooters are to be equipped with cargo boxes capable of holding 80kg to meet standard requirements, Wang said, adding that the vehicles will also be equipped with GPS to update drivers on road conditions and detours.

The company plans to purchase the scooters next year if trials go well, Wang said.

The cost of renting an electric scooter is NT$3,300 per month, Wang said, adding that insurance and maintenance costs are included.

This will save NT$10,000 per year for each petrol-powered motorcycle replaced, Wang said.

“We will work with the manufacturer to increase our usage of electric vehicles and eventually switch our four-wheeled vehicles to electric-powered alternatives,” Wang said.

One mail carrier who declined to be named expressed a less optimistic outlook about the new electric scooters.

“Motorcycles have lots of torque, whereas scooters might struggle with steep hills or heavy loads. They also have low bottoms that scrape the ground on steep surfaces,” the carrier said, adding that a full assessment would have to wait until the scooters are put into use.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES