New electric vehicle (EV) projects from companies and universities are being launched to expand infrastructure for eco-friendly cars, conduct research and increase manpower in the EV industry.
Evolt Technology, a local EV charging service provider, has teamed up with Gentari Co, a Malaysia-based clean energy supplier, to open a new charging facility in Bangkok with alternating current chargers.
The opening follows their cooperation under a memorandum of understanding signed early this year in a move to increase the number of EV charging outlets in Southeast Asia.
Evolt Technology has so far launched charging and maintenance services in more than 200 locations nationwide, serving motorists who require direct and alternative current chargers, said Kanchalerm Earsakul, chief operating officer of Evolt Technology.
Drivers can use a mobile phone application to get into a queue and pay for the services.
In another development, the state-run Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) has launched PSU-EV, an R&D and human resource development centre at its Hat Yai campus, representing a first in southern Thailand.
Nikom Suvonvorn, dean of PSU's Faculty of Engineering, said R&D and EV experts will play an important role in helping the government achieve its goal of making Thailand a major EV producing country.
The centre is aimed at providing students with all the necessary information on EV technology, and will modify oil-powered cars and change them into battery-run vehicles.
The National EV Policy Committee announced in 2021 that it wanted EVs to constitute 50% of locally made vehicles by 2030, part of an ambitious plan to make Thailand a regional EV hub.
According to a report issued by research agency BloombergNEF early this month, sales of EVs continue to gain market share globally, with Thailand and Indonesia being key nations within Asean.
The EV share of global new passenger sales is expected to jump from 14% in 2022 to 30% in 2026, said Allen Tom Abraham, BloombergNEF's senior analyst for Asia-Pacific transport.