Association says e-bikes sold within Macau are safe

Electric motorcycle batteries catching fire have raised concerns among the public about the safety of these vehicles. However, the Business Association of Environmentally Friendly and Electric Motorcycles in Macau has provided reassurance and proposed measures to address the issue.

According to the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), there are over 9,000 electric motorcycles in Macau, including around 2,500 heavy motorcycles and 1,000 light motorcycles. The association believes that the government’s subsidy scheme, which encourages motorcyclists to replace their diesel bikes with electric vehicles, has been successful.

The association acknowledged that the main reason behind many e-bike fire accidents is due to illegal modification of the devices, such as replacing the original batteries with oversized or substandard ones, or tampering with the regulators to increase the horsepower. This can make the batteries more prone to problems and safety issues.

To address this, the association proposed that the authorities aid in enforcing the law by issuing special labels on the batteries. This would make it easier for law enforcement officers to identify when a vehicle has been modified with non-original batteries, allowing them to take appropriate action. Howard Tong