Taipei to penalize regular cars parked in electric car spots

Fines are to be imposed from next month on gasoline and diesel cars parked in spaces designated for electric vehicles, the Taipei Parking Management and Development Office said.

The office said the new rule is to be imposed from Friday and that, as per the Parking Facility Act (停車場法), owners of vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines are to be fined NT$600 to NT$1,200 if they park illegally.

Parking spots designated for electric cars in Taipei function as charging stations and are marked by green lines.

Photo courtesy of Taiwan Cement Corp

The office said the new measure is in line with a Ministry of Transportation and Communications regulation that forbids non-electric cars occupying parking spaces designated for electric vehicles.

Parking fees for electric cars are to be altered, with the amount payable set to be calculated by electricity consumed per kilowatt-hour, it added.

Electric car owners pay NT$10 per hour more than drivers of fuel-powered vehicles, with another NT$10 per hour levied on electric car owners who do not charge their vehicles while parked.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua (何孟樺) on Friday said that the Taipei City Government needs to improve its policies regarding electric cars.

Ho said that the city had only installed about 600 parking spots for electric cars, despite aiming to have 1,200 by next year.

Ho added that 150 of the installed spots were inside parking lots, with some reporting that their charging equipment was being used less than 20 times a month.

Ho said city data showed that Taipei’s Zhongzheng (中正), Nangang (南港) and Daan (大安) districts each had fewer than 30 electric car parking spaces as of the end of last year.

Taipei needs to conduct thorough research before building new parking spaces to maximize efficiency, she added.