In Hong Kong, everything with a motor needs to be licensed. Electric or petrol, scooters and mopeds are not welcomed by the HKSAR - it either has to be a bike (as they know very few people will endure the summer heat and humidity), or a proper motor cycle (requiring motor cycle drivers license and fully licensed as motor cycle). Electric bikes are allowed even in Singapore, a place that otherwise regulates and prohibits even something like chewing gum and smoking. Singapore allowed pedal assist electric bikes up to 300W motors.
Hong Kong should do the same: Some kind of limit on speed and power, as well as pedal assist only (not "electric scooter").
In Shanghai (by chance I am here right now), electric bikes are all over. Silent and dark (no lights mainly), until they activate the insanely squeaky disk brakes, at the last split second before impact. On/off operation on most of them it seems, and some of them are really fast, surely not pedal assisted (not the majority, anyway). THESE very dangerous bikes are what you can find in some remote places in Hong Kong despite first offence resulting in up to 3 months in jail, second offence 6 months. So instead of having properly regulated pedal assist bikes in Hong Kong, we have illegal imports that are way too fast for a bike. And no mopeds, neither electric not petrol.
Yes, Hong Kong should have electric bikes and scooters. With pedal assist, and regen, they would be perfect here. All these hills makes ordinary bikes impractical in the summer, while with electric assist (and regen), a lot of commuting could be this way.
It seems that the preference in HK is that either you are well off and own a car, otherwise you resort to MTR/bus/taxi. No in between, black or white, choose one or the other.
