As they slowly make strides towards electric mobility, the Asian nations must collaborate with each other to make the most out of the Electric Vehicle (EV) business, says Ekachai Yimsakul, Vice President, ON-I ON Solutions Company Limited, PTT.

Yimsakul said, “The EV business in Thailand is expected to be US $22 billion - US $30 billion by 2030 yet a lot depends on the government policy. EV presents a huge opportunity for both existing players and new entrants. From raw material to battery production, distribution to service and overall infrastructure, there are a lot of areas for growth. We need to contribute to each of these to make it a success. I believe localization is the key yet I agree that we need partners to develop the new technology."

"Each Asian country has its strengths and we can work as a whole in a complimentary manner to capture the market demand. The production volume might be good in one country but together a lot can be achieved. At the same time, the competition is undeniable. A healthy competition can help in product improvement and benefit us all. In terms of demand, we are not sure about the exact numbers as the CoVID-19 delayed a lot of plans,” commented Yimsakul.

Yimasakul shared his thoughts alongside other experts at the webinar, ‘Electric Vehicles - Southeast Asia's Pathway to Electromobility’ organized by Future Energy Asia. 

Krisada Utamote, President, Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) stresses on increasing the global competitiveness to provide the best quality EVs to the markets with maximum demand in the future.

Utamote said, “When we talk about EV manufacturing and supply, each country has its unique capabilities. For example, Thailand has 11 automobile manufacturers. In the last five years, there were 2,177 charging points in 631 locations, mostly in shopping malls and residential areas. Going forward, we will witness more stations coming up on highways. Yet we rely on other Asian countries for components. Through ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), Southeast Asian nations can work closely and by doing so, we should be able to increase competitiveness and provide the best to the world. Thailand has already set up the National EV Policy Committee and our Deputy Prime Minister is leading the discussion."

"With the year 2030 being an expected milestone of achieving 50% of EV mobility, we are aiming for 30% of EV production by 2025. We are implementing the policies in phases. While in 2021-22, we intend to promote EV motorcycles, we plan to develop 200,000 units of electric vehicles locally by 2023-26. We are looking at producing 700,000 electric vehicles including the trucks by 2026-30 (30% target). By 2031-35, we aim to achieve 100% of the target. In Singapore too, the government is clear about offering its support and right policies with the year 2040 expected to be all EV,” added Utamote.

“There is plenty of infrastructure available for expansion in Thailand. It is quite ready for buyers as there are 2,000 public EV charging points and others made available by 11 companies across the country. As per our research in distribution transformers in electric vehicles for our system, the penetration won’t be very fast. There is still 20% capacity left for any newcomer and if they come fast there is a room for them in Thailand,” says Tidarat Madtharad, Manager of Strategy and New Business Development Division Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).

Sharing her views from the financial viability of charging ports, Madtharad adds further, “Profitability is many years away from now. For charging station owners to earn profits, the number of vehicles to be charged have to be high to get profitable. They are earning as low as 2.6 Thai Baht per day which is low. At the moment investment is quite high and vehicle numbers are low. Therefore, from a financial point of view, it is still a big challenge as income may not materialize in the short period. The National Energy Policy Council has said that it will look into the tariff.”

Carbon neutrality now is a buzzword in most of the countries and in the EV segment, we have no carbon footprint, says Warit Rattanachuen, Director, Project Management Office (PMO), Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

Outlining the possible roadmap for Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations, Rattanachuen opines, “As the first step, countries could increase capacity of renewables in their power system so that the CO2 emissions get reduced. The respective governments need to set up mechanisms where EV manufacturers can directly purchase electricity from green sources. While it will boost the manufacturer, the situation is a bit complicated in various countries. In Thailand, the National Energy Policy Council has set a new renewable target of 50% in our power system."

"Looking at 30% of EV target by 2025, battery manufacturing and home charging infrastructure is in the offing in the country. In this backdrop, the countries like Singapore and Thailand can supply parts anywhere but in other few countries, electrification is still 50% to 60%. In those countries the transportation and distribution could be a challenge. Therefore, regional trading between countries is important to promote the infrastructure and charging stations. We need high demand and also the methodology to manage the demand. We need fresh technological innovations such as smart processors to handle the charger. The focus has to be on the entire electric vehicles value chain and circularity of electric vehicles,” commented Rattanachuen.