Electric vehicle infrastructure expands as adoption grows

The city’s push toward electric vehicles (EVs) has gained significant momentum, with over 2,200 charging spaces for light vehicles and more than 600 spaces for electric motorcycles now available across public parking lots.

The Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) recently revealed that, in partnership with local utility CEM, it has introduced 204 national standard charging sockets at 49 public parking lots, aiming to enhance the convenience of EV owners.

As of late 2024, Macau has 12,302 electric vehicles in total, including 6,480 light cars, 1,239 heavy cars, 3,003 heavy motorcycles, and 1,580 light motorcycles.

Notably, the proportion of electric light cars among newly registered vehicles has increased from 4% in 2019 to approximately 27% in 2024.

Meanwhile, the adoption of electric motorcycles has surged from about 2% before the launch of the subsidy scheme for replacing old motorcycles with new electric ones to around 35% today.

The number of electric motorcycles in in the city has grown by a 11.8 times since the program’s launch in 2022.

Speaking at the TDM Forum, lawmaker Lo Choi In praised the government’s efforts but emphasized that further improvements are necessary. She highlighted the success of the pilot scheme for electric motorcycle battery swap stations, which has benefited commercial vehicles, particularly delivery services.

Lo suggested expanding zero-emission public buses and incentivizing the conversion of commercial vehicles, such as food delivery motorcycles, to further boost the market for new energy vehicles.

Transport Advisory Committee member Ip Wai Keong echoed the need for increased adoption of new energy vehicles, urging government departments and public transportation services to lead by example. He also called for enhanced policies to meet the goal of 100% zero-emission vehicles for newly registered cars by 2035. Staff Reporter