Electric buses pose no problem to middle Bridge, local engineer says

Macau’s electric-powered buses (EV-Buses) should pose no significant threat to the stability of the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, a local civil engineer has told the Times.
In a reply to legislator Ng Kuok Cheong at the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, pointed out that the weight of the EV-Buses is a restricting factor in considering the replacement of fuel-powered buses with more eco-friendly ones.
Questioned by the Times on this issue, the local engineer, who requested not to be identified, said the weight should not be very different. “I find it strange,” said the engineer. “The weight of the buses [EV-Buses] should be the same or very similar to the ones powered by natural gas or diesel and since the passengers also weigh the same, [I don’t see any difference].”
According to information provided by the Chinese manufacturer, Changsha BYD Coach Co., Ltd, one of the world leaders in the sale of electric vehicles, a current 12-meter EV-Bus model has a curb weight of 13,800 kilograms. A similar size diesel-powered bus has a curb weight that ranges between 11,000 and 11,500 kilograms, according to several manufacturers’ specifications.
Dutch EV-bus manufacturer “EBUSCO” also said that their Model 2.2 has a curb weight of 12,850 kilograms. This shows that an EV-Bus, on average, is 18% heavier than a diesel bus. The total weight difference is reduced since the fuel tank in diesel buses carry about 300 liters of fuel when at full capacity.
In the light of such facts, the engineer added that he sees no relevant difference to justify the concerns expressed by the Secretary over the bridge’s capacity to sustain the buses’ weight.
In his opinion, which the engineer has previously expressed to the relevant authorities, the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge “[in the future] should be dedicated to bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrian traffic only.” He added that this would be possible, “when the underwater tunnel [linking] the landfill by the bridge (currently used as bus parking area) to Taipa Island […] is built.”
For the engineer, the six-lane tunnel should have one lane which is exclusively reserved for public transportation use.
The Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge is the first road link between the Macau Peninsula and Taipa and entered into operation in 1974.
After being closed to all traffic in 2005, the bridge was reopened in 2006 but for the exclusive use of public buses, taxis, and emergency vehicles.