DSPA to promote EVs to cut emissions

The government will increase the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) to cut down on exhaust emissions, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) Raymond Tam said on a recent TDM Radio program “Macau Forum.”

Responding to questions about enhancing the air quality in Macau, Tam said: “We will increase the number of charging stations in the public parking lots next year. Also [next year] we will enforce a new policy that states that all the public parking lots located in the new landfills areas will have these stations [build by default]”. He added that the government will strive to ensure that all private residential buildings will also retain this kind of facility.

“The Land, Public Works, and Transport Bureau are already working on a new bill, so that all private residential buildings will have a sufficient number of charging stations for EVs within their premises,” Tam remarked.

Concurrently, and in cooperation with the Meteorological and Geophysics Bureau (SMG), the DSPA is strengthening the monitoring of roadside air quality, director of SMG Leong Weng Kun added.

The promotion of EVs in Macau, and the number of charging stations available, has been a topic of discussion for several months. It was recently on the debate of the Policy Address for 2022, with several lawmakers urging the government to improve and increase the number of charging stations.

According to lawmakers, the low number of charging stations available in Macau has been a deterrent for residents in acquiring EVs. They claimed that charging stations – specifically those located in residential areas – are often fully occupied, forcing residents to wait for hours to recharge their cars.

The fact there is no universal plug system, and different brands of vehicles require different types of chargers, has also been highlighted an obstacle for expanding the stations’ network.