Hong Kong has become the first place in Asia, except Japan, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to test a new type of electric car, according to government website.

The MoU was signed here Thursday by the Permanent Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong Anissa Wong, Managing Director, Universal Cars Limited Peter Wei, and the Corporate General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Tohru Hashimoto.

The electric car, the Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle ("i MiEV") provided by Mitsubishi Motors, will be evaluated in Hong Kong beginning as early as May 2009. It is currently being tested in Japan.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau said, "Electric vehicles do not have tailpipe emissions and can help improve roadside air quality."

He said that the signing of the MoU symbolized that Hong Kong has moved a major step forward in promoting the use of electric vehicles.

"The trial of the 'i MiEV' will help the government understand the performance of the new generation electric vehicles and the charging requirements for large scale introduction to Hong Kong," he said.

To promote electric vehicles, the Hong Kong Financial Secretary announced in his Budget Speech on Feb. 25 that the government would extend the waiver of the first registration tax on electric vehicles for five years to March 31, 2014.