Taiwan unveiled a multi-million dollar plan aimed at boosting domestic production and use of electric cars over the next six years, government officials said.
The 9.1-billion-dollar (US$290 million) plan includes subsidies for local auto firms and their partners to ramp up production and set up charging stations across the island.
The plan foresees boosting output to 60,000 vehicles a year by 2016.
The proposal also involves subsidizing local car and component makers in various research and development projects.
"Hopefully, local carmakers will be able to manufacture up to 60,000 electric vehicles each year after the projects are completed in 2016," said Chiu Chiu-hui, an official at the Industrial Development Bureau.
The plan is expected to create 24,000 jobs, he said.
Local media said that Yulon Motor, a leading local carmaker behind the island's first home-grown electric car, would be the main beneficiary of the plan.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
