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In the history of global new energy vehicles’ refueling (or replenishment) evolution, battery-swapping technology has undergone a dramatic rebirth. As early as 2007, the Israeli company Better Place conceived a blueprint for automated battery swapping, attempting to eliminate range anxiety through the physical replacement of batteries.

Looking back over the past five years, the global automobile industry has gone through a turbulent first half, during which the main focus of competition was “energy defines the car” — a race in battery technology and driving range.

Last week, I conducted an in-depth analysis of the structural contradictions facing Hong Kong’s electric-vehicle charging market: land resources are extremely scarce and power capacity is limited; relying on an extensive growth model that simply “piles up hardware” is clearly unwise.

Electric-vehicle charging technology is currently in a phase of rapid iteration. Early AC slow-charging solutions have entered the phase of being phased out, while DC fast-charging standards have become basic entry-level configurations.

For many electric vehicle (EV) owners in Hong Kong, circling around the car park near home after work to look for an available charging spot has become a daily routine. At weekends, they drive to park at shopping malls, only to find few charging bays available.

2020年疫情以來，港人的消費習慣受到衝擊，不得不發生轉變。居家隔離迫使人們線上購物，病毒傳播迫使人們減少現金的使用，包括現在政府發行消費券，都使得舊有的路徑依賴強行變換軌道。而隨着線下商店線上化、物流配送更加完善等基礎設施建設，是否說明香港未來的電子商貿將走上暢通無阻的康莊大道？