Lawmaker flags shortfall in e-motorcycle charging standards

Lawmaker Ron Lam has raised concerns with authorities regarding the inadequate number of charging stations and charging standards for electric motorcycles in public car parks.

In December, he expressed concern about the charging standards for electric motorcycles in public car parks.

At that time, there were 630 charging facilities across 49 public car parks in Macau, all equipped with British-standard sockets, which were incompatible with some electric motorcycles.

Some electric motorcycle importers in Macau sold models with different charging systems that could not directly use the sockets available in public car parks.

Earlier this year, authorities coordinated with CEM to introduce national-standard sockets at charging stations in public car parks.

According to the latest information from the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), Macau has established 650 charging stations for electric motorcycles in 51 public car parks. Of these, about 30% (202 units) are national-standard 10A sockets, 3% (19 units) are dual-standard sockets (China/UK), and the remainder (429 units) are British-standard sockets.

The Transport Bureau reported that there are currently 56 public car parks in Macau with a total of 19,523 motorcycle parking spaces. However, there are still no electric motorcycle charging facilities at the outdoor parking lots of Wangxin, the Cultural Centre, Pak Wai, Avenida Covina Road, and Union Medical College Hospital.

The 650 electric motorcycle charging spaces account for only 3% of the total motorcycle parking spaces. As of March 31 this year, there were 4,997 electric motorcycles in Macau.

The ratio of motorcycle charging spaces in public parking lots and the ratio of public charging stations to electric motorcycles is significantly lower than that for electric private cars, indicating a disparity in planning standards by the authorities.

Residents have shared their views on the government’s plan to promote the replacement of traditional motorcycles with electric ones. Many electric motorcycle drivers prefer to charge in public car parks, yet the number of charging facilities has not increased.

The issue of insufficient motorcycle charging spaces has become more pronounced, with reports of wait times of up to half an hour during peak hours. Some drivers have also reported that their motorcycles were moved without authorization by others who wanted to charge because a specific parking space was full.

Users believe each charging station should have a dual-standard socket. Often, they discover a charging space is full only after entering the parking lot, necessitating a search for another location, which is very inconvenient.

Lam has requested that authorities collect data on the utilization rates of charging facilities for electric motorcycles in various car parks and increase the number of charging facilities in locations where electric motorcycle parking spaces are frequently full.

He also seeks clarification on whether all new motorcycle charging stations will adopt dual standards for user convenience. Times Reporter