Delta Electronics Thailand is optimistic about the country’s electric vehicle (EV) market, with a plan to collaborate with car distributors to provide EV charging equipment for Thai buyers.
Thailand suffers from PM2.5 pollution and oil-fuelled vehicles are a key source of ultra-fine dust and particles. EV adoption has been put forward as one tactic to sort out this problem.
According to the Land Transport Department, new battery EV registrations in 2019 totalled 1,572 cars and motorcycles, up 380% from a year earlier. As of December 2019, there were 2,854 EV cars and motorcycles registered.
There were 30,676 hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars and motorcycles registered in 2019, up 51%, for total registration of 153,184 units as of December 2019.
President Hsieh Shen-yen said Delta has been keen to supply EV-related components since 2012.”Plug-in hybrid and battery EVs are compatible with charging outlets. Although EV adoption is still limited, I believe the EV population will be larger in the future,” he said.
Mr Shen-yen said many factors influence the local EV market: government policy, motorist demand, EV supply and EV charging availability.
He said a sufficient number of EV charging stations is 0.6-0.8 stations per car.
“For motorists, buying EVs instead of conventional cars is a long-term investment because they have to pay more,” said Mr Shen-yen.
Delta supplies EV charging outlets — AC (normal charge) for home use and DC (fast charge) for public access. AC chargers are priced 50,000-80,000 baht while DC sockets cost roughly 450,000 baht. He said Delta has collaborated with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and Nissan Motor Thailand to supply and install EV chargers.
“Roughly 250 sockets have been installed and 50 of those were DC fast chargers for agencies, companies and condominiums,” said Mr Shen-yen.
