Sustainable Leadership Forum Highlights Taiwan’s Just Transition Through Vehicle Electrification

Written by Hsu, Chin-Han(Hannah)

The Sustainable Leadership Forum invited Professor John Chung-En Liu from the Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University to give a lecture titled “Just Transition in Taiwan: Vehicle Electrification as a Case.” Professor Liu discussed Taiwan’s net-zero policy, the idea of just transition, and how climate and energy changes are closely connected to social issues.

He summarized key policy developments, including the 2050 net-zero pledge and the 2023 Climate Change Response Act, which created the Just Transition Commission. He emphasized fairness in climate policy and invited students to consider how climate actions may affect different groups in society.

Using electric motorcycles as an example, Professor Liu reviewed Taiwan’s experience with vehicle electrification. He explained that the 2017 announcement to ban gasoline scooters by 2035 was later suspended. Using the multi-level perspective framework, he described challenges such as infrastructure gaps, recalls, pricing complaints, fragmented coordination among ministries, and social debates like “Equal Rights for Gasoline and Electricity.”

Professor Liu also presented findings on electric motorcycle adoption and subsidy policies. Survey data showed that younger, higher-income, and more educated users, especially women, are more likely to adopt electric motorcycles. However, many people still hesitate due to concerns about ongoing expenses, charging, and maintenance. He noted that gasoline rebates reduce electric motorcycle registrations, and subsidies for electric models have only modest effects. While price incentives matter, non-financial barriers remain significant. He also added that despite purchase subsidies, monthly expenses and repair costs for electric motorcycles can still be higher than for gasoline ones.

During the Q&A session, students asked about biofuels and hydrogen. Professor Liu responded that improving public transportation is a better direction at this stage and noted that global transitions to new energy sources raise questions about fairness in resource extraction and production.

Through this lecture, students not only gained an understanding of the policies and social challenges behind the development of electric motorcycles, but also developed a clearer grasp of the complexity and practical aspects of just transition.