29 December 2016, Macau

To support the green commuting policy of Macau SAR Government and let Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers charge their vehicles more conveniently, Companhia de Electricidade de Macau - CEM, S.A. (CEM) installed additional EV charging stations in 10 public car parks in Macau, Taipa and Coloane this year, including Vasco da Gama, Edifício Fat Tat, Rua de Malaca, Praça Ferreira do Amaral, Edifício Cheng I, Jardim Comendador Ho Yin, Edifício da Direcção dos Serviços para os Assuntos de Tráfego (DSAT) car parks in Macau; Taipa Central Park and Edifício do Lago car parks in Taipa; Edificio Ip Heng car park in Coloane. Additional 53 EV charging stations were installed, providing charging service to EVs at 60 parking spaces.

CEM has set up the first public EV charging station at Pak Lane Car Park, Av. Almeida Ribeiro years ago. More EV charging stations were installed in Vasco da Gama, Pak Lane, Pak Wai, Jardim da Vitória, Pak Tou, Pak Lai, Pak Vai, Espaço Sintra and Pak Kong car parks successively later on, while E-bike charging is available in Vasco da Gama Car Park. In recent years, with manufacturers’ research and development in the field and introduction of different types of EVs, as well as the increasing public awareness of environmental protection, EV owners and EV usage rate have been gradually increased. CEM also purchased a number of EVs, one E-bike and E-bus, in a hope to take the lead to motivate more citizens and organizations to switch to EVs. Currently, total 18 Macau public car parks are equipped with EV charging facilities with over 70 chargers available for EVs and E-bikes. In the next few years, the number of charging stations will be increased in line with the usage and the growth of EV, and the usage patterns of various districts will be analyzed to optimize the distribution of various charging systems.

The 18 car parks equipped with EV charging stations are listed in the following table, of which, 15 are in Macau Peninsula, 2 in Taipa and 1 in Coloane, with different charging speed to suit different needs. Battery level can reach up to 80% in just 30 minutes with quick charging, while fully charged will take about 4 hours with medium-speed charging and about 8 hours with standard charging, respectively. The charging stations basically cover most of the charging system standards, including quick charging Japan standard CHAdeMO, European standard DC Combo CCS2, IEC - IEC Type 2 three-phase 63A, medium-speed charging IEC Type 2 single phase 32A, and standard British 13A.

To facilitate the identification of EV charging station locations, all parking lots are decorated with an eye-catching blue sky and white clouds backdrop together with a green EV signage on the floor. EV chargers are now available for EV owners free of charge until further notice. Vehicle owners who would like to use the EV charging stations must apply for CEM EV Card at CEM. For details or enquiry, please contact Info Line at 2833 9911.

Pure EV offers a number of great benefits over conventional gasoline vehicles, including “zero emissions”, which can improve roadside air quality and reduce health problems caused by air pollution. Driving an EV means less noise pollution as EV is very quiet on the road; the operation of EV is generally the same as ordinary vehicles. For the same vehicle, the cost of electricity that EV consumes is around one third of the cost of purchasing gasoline, which means every ride is now much cheaper. With the absence of exhaust systems, starter motors, fuel injection systems, radiators and many other parts, EV owners can save a lot in vehicle maintenance compared with conventional vehicles.