Electric vehicles drew attention of the crowds in the 2010 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Exhibition and Forum (2010MIECF). Apart from the Companhia de Electricidade de Macau, Macao Green Environmental Protection Motor Vehicle Association also showcased electric vehicles at the exhibition. The Association exhibited a hybrid electric vehicle, modified hybrid electric vehicle and one electric vehicle manufactured in the Mainland. As the title reveals, both gasoline and electricity are compatible with the hybrid electric vehicle. The device is also equipped with a computed automatic energy adjustment function, allowing the vehicle to consume electricity and gasoline at high and low speed respectively. It is also pointed out that slow-driving and the intermittent starting and turning off the engine wasted the most gasoline and posed the most serious pollution to the environment. The Association expressed that a gas vehicle can travel 13-14 km with 1 liter of gasoline, while a hybrid vehicle travels over 20 km with the same amount of gas, saving 50% of gasoline. The Association also highlighted that the price of hybrid vehicles may cost over MOP$200,000 each and is rather expensive. Hence the Association co-operated with the Macao Electric Vehicle Research Center and supported local engineers to modify a decade-old gasoline vehicle to an electric vehicle. Although the traditional lead acid battery is adopted, the vehicle can still travel up to 150 km after fully charged. The said vehicle is still under testing at the moment, but it is already a leap forward in developing electric vehicles. Numerous benefits are spotted in the pioneering electric vehicle of the Companhia de Electricidade de Macau, such as the absence of fuse emission, quiet and smooth driving, low operation and maintenance cost, and most importantly, the vehicle enjoys high power efficiency. The electricity cost of electric vehicle is only one-third of the gasoline, i.e. MOP$0.16/km. Calculating at the current charges of MOP$1.3/w, it costs about MOP$20 to charge the vehicle with 16w of electricity.
