Eco-driving competition raises awareness of fuel conservation

Some 180 private cars participated in the Hong Kong Fuel Economy Run for Private Cars (HK ECO-DRIVERS) today (December 14), striving to complete the assigned routes using the least amount of fuel.

The event, organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), was the first of its kind organised by the Government. It aims to enhance the awareness of the public, particularly drivers, on fuel savings and eco-driving.

The participating private cars were divided into four main categories:  “Engine Cylinder Capacity”,“Family”, “Hybrid Vehicle” and “Invitational”.  The competition started at 9am at the EMSD Headquarters Building in Kowloon Bay. There were two routes for the participants: Route A (Sai Kung & Hong Kong Island) and Route B (New Territories via Tai Po and NT West). Winners of different sub-categories were determined by how little fuel they consumed to complete the assigned route.    

Special awards were also given to the “Engine Cylinder Capacity” and “Family” categories to promote the fuel consumption index. The awards, which were determined by the least fuel used per 100 km per passenger, aimed to encourage the shared use of private cars.

According to the “Hong Kong Energy End-use Data 2008” published by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in September 2008, the transport sector accounts for 35% of end use energy consumption in Hong Kong, which was second to the 38% for the commercial sector.

The HK ECO-DRIVERS campaign was launched in September this year. Two briefing sessions and workshops  were held on October 13 and 15. In the briefing sessions, expert speakers from the transport sector shared with the audience their views on how to save fuel as a car owner and in fleet management, best practices in car maintenance to avoid extra fuel consumption, and eco-driving skills. All the promotional activities were well received by the public.

The run was co-organised by the Hong Kong Automobile Association, the Institute of the Motor Industry Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Vehicle Repair Merchants Association Ltd and the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Lee Wai Lee). The supporting organisations included CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, The Hong Kong Electric Co., Ltd, SINOPEC (Hong Kong) Petrol Filling Station Co. Ltd, ECO Environmental Investments Ltd, Shell Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited and Chevron Hong Kong Limited. This represents a strong collaborative effort among the different organisations in promoting energy conservation.

The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Ho Kwong-wai, attributed the success of the event to the collaborative work by various support organisations.

“Through strong public and private collaboration on energy and fuel savings, we hope to appeal to the public to maintain the momentum,” Mr Ho said at the prize presentation ceremony.

Ends/Sunday, December 14, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:54

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