Environmental Protection Bureau ( DSPA) Director Cheong Sio Kei of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government had told media that a tax-reduction scheme would be launched some time this year for purchases of environment- friendly vehicles, the local Macao Post Daily reported on Wednesday.

Cheong made the remarks on the sideline of a press conference regarding the upcoming Macao International Environmental Cooperation Forum (MIECF) event which kicks off Thursday.

Cheong said that a consultation process involving different sectors would be conducted during this time to determine the content of the tax-reduction scheme.

Hong Kong SAR government announced last year that Electric Vehicles (EV) are sold tax-free as a way to encourage "green driving".

Macao Post Daily quoted a car-dealer in Hong Kong who was in Macao as saying that a zero-emission iMiEV due to be showcased at the MIECF by Macao's power utility CEM had been ordered by the Hong Kong SAR government.

The EV, which runs on an electric motor, can reach speeds of up to 130 km per hour and can travel 160 km without running out of power after being fully charged.

According to Rossi Chau Soi Pang, a senior CEM engineer, the cost of electricity that the EV consumes is a third of the cost of gasoline.