The National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee is considering setting a new electric vehicle (EV) production target, with EVs making up half of all car manufacturing by 2030.
The goal is to tap into the global trend of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from all new cars.
The new target, pushed by major automakers in Thailand, comes as state agencies and power companies are trying to relieve concerns over an insufficient number of EV charging facilities and prolonged charging times.
“The government will discuss the new EV target with state agencies and car manufacturers within this month,” Kulit Sombatsiri, permanent secretary for energy, said on Thursday. “Global car companies have asked the government whether the new target is possible.”
Officials earlier set an EV production target of 30% of all new cars, or 750,000 out of 2.5 million total units. With the 50% goal, the number of annual EVs produced would increase to 1.25 million.
According to the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand, the number of EV registrations in Thailand has increased to around 100,000 units.
High prices are a major obstacle for prospective EV buyers, but EV technology is growing rapidly and prices will become more affordable over time, said Mr Kulit. The government expects the prices of EVs to equal internal combustion engine vehicles by the end of 2040, he said.
Both companies and the government are developing EV infrastructure, notably EV charging facilities to serve a larger number of EVs.
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) plans to increase its EV charging outlets called EleX to 35 from 13 this year, said Egat governor Boonyanit Wongrukmit.
“Our new EV charging stations will be built along main roads nationwide,” he said.
Egat is working with six major car firms — Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Nissan and Porsche — to jointly develop EV charging infrastructure, including applications to help drivers better manage their car-charging requirements.
By the second or third quarter this year, Egat plans to launch a mobile app called EleXA allowing users to locate EV charging outlets, make advanced bookings and pay for charging.
EleX and EleXA are part of EV Business Solutions, overseen by Egat Innovation Holdings Co, a new business arm of Egat to run EV businesses, 5G wireless technology and electricity trade.
Other agencies are also working on plans to develop EV infrastructure.
SET-listed PTT Oil and Retail Business announced it plans to allocate 450 million baht to add 100 EV charging outlets nationwide this year, up from 33 at present.
The goal for 2022 is 300 total charging outlets.
Energy Absolute Plc said earlier it aims to increase its EV charging outlets to 1,000 across the country by the end of this year.
PTG Energy Plc is teaming up with a partner to conduct a feasibility study on two types of fast-charging facilities to serve large electric trucks.
Source: Bangkok Post
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