Is there a plan in place at HKUST to improve the EV charging facilities on Clear Water Bay campus?

Indeed, HKUST has taken proactive steps to enhance the EV charging facilities on campus. In 2022, CMO initiated a long-term improvement plan aimed at promoting the adoption of EVs and aligning with the Government's Roadmap on Popularization of EVs and HKUST's 2028 Sustainability Plan for carbon neutrality.

The plan entails the installation of EV infrastructure, which includes upgrading the electrical distribution system, power cabling, and more. Additionally, EV chargers and an electronic payment system will be implemented to support approximately 30% of the existing car parking spaces on the Clear Water Bay campus.  By 2028, it is expected that around 360 car parking spaces will be equipped with EV medium chargers.

 

 

 

Due to the scale and complexity of the EV charging enhancement work, it will be implemented in multiple phases, as outlined below.

 

 

 

What is the status of the EV charging facilities enhancement work?

As of May 2025, CMO has made substantial progress in enhancing our EV charging facilities.  We have successfully completed the electrical enabling work for EV chargers at both the staff quarters and the indoor car park building, which includes the installation of 95 new EV medium chargers on campus.

In the next 24 months, CMO will prioritize upgrading the power capacity for the indoor car park building.  This upgrade will allow us to further expand and install additional EV charging facilities.

 

Description of Enhancement Works		Expected Work Done
		Up to Q2 2025	Q3 2025 to Q3 2027
Phase 0	Installation of EV infrastructure at staff quarters	Completed	--
Phase 1	Installation of EV infrastructure at indoor car park building	Completed	--
	Installation of 49 EV medium chargers at the staff quarters and 25 EV medium chargers at the indoor car park building.	Completed	--
Phase 2	Installation of 21 EV medium chargers at indoor car park building	Completed	--
	Stage 1 power upgrade for indoor car park building to facilitate further installation of EV medium chargers	--	Work is scheduled to take place from November 2025 to March 2026.
	Stage 2 power upgrade for indoor car park building to facilitate further installation of EV medium chargers	--	Work is scheduled to take place from November 2026 to March 2027

 

 

Is it possible to expedite the installation of EV chargers in the indoor car park building to meet the growing demand for EV charging?

As of May 2025, CMO has installed 46 EV medium chargers in the indoor car park building.  According to the improvement plan, a total of 120 EV chargers will be installed by 2028.

However, it is crucial for university members to understand that installing such a large number of EV chargers in an existing campus poses significant challenges, especially in a 30-year-old indoor car park building. The power supply capacity for this building is limited and primarily sourced from the campus-wide district cooling plant, which is essential for providing central air conditioning to support the university's core operations. Currently, the power supply to the district cooling plant is nearly at maximum capacity due to increased cooling demand from the university's expansion and new buildings. As a result, the available power capacity only permits the installation of 46 EV chargers in the indoor car park.  Adding more chargers could compromise the stability and reliability of the central air conditioning supply.

To meet the target of 120 EV chargers, an extensive power upgrade is scheduled for the indoor car park building. This upgrade will occur in two stages: stage 1 from November 2025 to March 2026 and stage 2 from November 2026 to March 2027.

 

Will there be an implementation of an EV charging fee? If so, what will be the cost of charging?

Currently, EV charging at HKUST campus is offered free of charge. However, following the enhancement work on the EV charging facilities, there may be an implementation of a fee for EV charging. The proposed charging model will initially consider the electricity cost, along with the expenses related to the operation, maintenance, and administration of the EV charging facilities, in accordance with the user pay principle. The final details of the charging arrangement will be subject to the approval of top management.