Electrification of Public Transport and

Mobility: Experience from Thailand

Yossapong Laoonual, PhD
Mobility & Vehicle Technology Research Center (MOVE)
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT)
25 July 2023
National Consultation Meeting on Accelerating the Transition to Electric Mobility for Public Transport in Sri Lanka
Organized by UN ESCAP
Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Contents

1 Current status of public bus in Thailand and Bangkok

2 Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand

3 E-bus technology

4 Summary and recommendations

Contents
24-Jul-23
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 Current status of vehicle registration in Thailand

Source: Department of Land Transport

3
 Current status of public bus in Thailand
Accumulative Bus Registration in Thailand by Fuel Types
200000 Bus Accumulative Registration (2017-2022)
Other E20 Diesel-Electric BEV CNG LPG Diesel Petrol
180000
162,975 164,998 Number of Bus Registration in 2022
159,189 151,547
160000 1212 (1%) 691 (1%) 3913 (3%)

30810 29104 140,268 132,806

140000 31383
25018
4010 18973 Petrol
4136 22162
4284 3605 18973 3334 (2%) (14%)
120000 Diesel
3276
3334 LPG
100000 CNG
BEV
104681 (79%)
80000 Diesel-Electric
126342 E20
117785 122466 117666
60000 109762 104681
Other

40000

20000

0 4909 4737 4695 4437 4133 3913

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Source: Department of Land Transport 4
Current status of public bus in Thailand
Accumulative Bus Registration in Thailand by Service Types

Source: Department of Land Transport 5

Current status of public bus in Thailand
Accumulative Fixed Route Buses in Thailand by categories
Categories of Fixed Route Buses in Thailand
90,000 1,449 (2%) In 2022
City bus Bangkok intercity bus Provincial intercity bus Local bus Others
80,000
15473
Number of Buses (Units)

70,000 20,060
(26%)
19519
18618 27606,
60,000 17035
16209
(46%)
10,317 15473 9469 6349 (10%)
50,000 9514
8739
7919 (16%)
7143
12,188 6349
40,000 11759 11453
11050
10340 City bus Bangkok intercity bus
9469
30,000 Provincial intercity bus Local bus
Others
20,000 34,869 33592 32627 31305 29506 27606
10,000

-
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Year
Source: Department of Land Transport 6
Current status of public city bus in Thailand
Accumulative Fixed Route City Bus Registration in Thailand by Fuel Types

Source: Department of Land Transport 7

Current status of public city bus in Bangkok
Accumulative Fixed Route City Bus Registration in Bangkok by Fuel Types

Source: Department of Land Transport 8

Current status of public city bus in Bangkok

Source: Department of Land Transport, BMTA rehabilitation plan 2020, Ministry of Transport (MOT) EV plan (2022-2037) 9
 Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
Thailand Net Zero GHG Emission Pathway

LULUCF: Land use, Land-use change and Forestry IPPU: Industrial Processes and Product Use
Source: TGO (2023) Government Policy on Climate Actions & Decarbonization in Thailand, 30 March 2023
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 Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee
Chaired by Deputy Prime Minister
Official order by office of Prime Minister on 7 Feb 2020
Key Drivers
• Air Pollution Reduction
• Greenhouse Gases Reduction
• New Industry Creation

🎯 Visions : Thailand
becomes the global
production and supplier hub
for electric vehicles and
automotive parts.

Latest meeting on 12 May 2021 11

Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
🎯 Visions : Thailand will become the global production and supplier hub for electric
vehicles and automotive parts.

Goal at 2030 : 30@30 Thailand towards 30% Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Production by 2030

30@30 Target at 2030

Electric Passenger & Pickup Car
Fast Charging : 12,000 Outlets
Annual ZEV sale : 440,000 units (50% of Total Sale)
Annual ZEV production : 725,000 units (30% of Total Production)
Bus & Truck
Annual ZEV sale : 33,000 units (35% of Total Sale)
Annual ZEV production : 34,000 units (50% of Total Production)
Electric Motorcycle
Swapping Station : 1,450 Stations
Annual ZEV sale : 650,000 units (40% of Total Sale)
Annual ZEV production : 675,000 units (30% of Total Production)
Electric Tuk Tuk
Annual ZEV sale : 2,200 units (100% of Total Sale)
Annual ZEV production : 2,200 units (100% of Total Production)

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Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
xEV New Registration

Source: Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) with data source from the Department of Land Transport.
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Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
xEV Accumulative Registration

Source: Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT) with data source from the Department of Land Transport. 14
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)

BEV Models in Thailand

21 Brands

38 Models

(as of May 2023)

Source: Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT).

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Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
Number of Charging Outlets and Charging Operators in Thailand

16
Source: Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT).
Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
National Incentive Schemes
Usage Promotion
• Public transport policy
• Cheaper annual vehicle registration fee
• Government EV fleet policy
• User subsidy
Infrastructure Preparation
• Special electricity price for public charging operators
• Planning public charging station locations
Local Production Promotion
• EV Investment Scheme by Board of Investment
• Reduce Import Tax/ Excise Tax for vehicles and auto parts

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Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
Local Production Promotion and User Subsidy

Source: EVAT
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Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
MOU with Excise Department to Promote EV Production and Usage

Battery Electric Passenger Cars Electric Motorcycles

8 Brands 3 Companies

Deco Green Energy Co., Ltd.

Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd. SAIC Motor – CP Co., Ltd.
&
MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

H SEM Motor Co., Ltd.

Toyota Motor Green Filter Co., Ltd. BYD Auto (Thailand) Co.,
Thailand Co., Ltd. Ltd.

Thai Honda Co., Ltd.

MINE Mobility NETA Auto (Thailand) Mercedes-Benz

Corporation Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd. Manufacturing
(Thailand) Co., Ltd.

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 Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
Ministry of Transport EV Development Plan (2022 – 2037)
Roadmap to transition public transport to electric vehicle (Road Water and Rail)

Promoting Electric Technology for Bus

DLT has updated and drafted related EV regulations and registration. DLT has approved EV bus route concession in 13 routes (BKK + province)

BMTA has a plan to replace conventional buses to EV buses (2,511 units) The Transport Co., Ltd. has a plan to replace old
and, in addition, plan to announce a hired contract for EV service (1,500 units). conventional bus to a new EV bus (401 units).
Source: Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP).
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 Current national EV policy and strategies in Thailand
Main Bus Operators in Thailand

Source: Chayatan Phromsorn (2023) Next-Gen Automotive: Acceleration Thailand as an EV Hub, 26 April 2023 21
E-bus technology
E-bus and charging station technology

Conductive charging
• Pantograph charging
• Ground-based charging
• Plug-in charging
• Wire charging (Trolley bus )
Inductive charging
• Wireless charging
Battery swapping system

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 E-bus technology
Thailand Industrial Standards Institute Sockets and Inlet Standard
Vehicles AC Charger DC Charger Vehicles
IEC 62196-2 Configuration Type 2 IEC 62196-3 Configuration FF
Electric Rated Current: Up to 200 A
Electric
Bus Rated Voltage: ≥ 500 V DC Bus
Communication Protocol: PLC

Electric Phase: Single / Three Electric

Rated Current: 70A (Single phase) /
Passenger 63A (Three phase) Passenger
Car Rated Voltage: 480 V Car
Capacity: Up to 22 kW (Mode 2)
Up to 43 kW (maximum) 23
 E-bus technology
Example of Local E-Bus Companies in Thailand

Source: Public Announcement & Website

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E-bus technology
Example of E-bus charging infrastructure in Thailand

• Conductive charging
• Slow/Overnight charge
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 E-bus technology
Public E-Bus Service
Thai Smile Bus Co.Ltd.
Start of Operation: 19 September 2021
Service Areas: Bangkok Metropolitan

Bus Model: NexPoint EV City bus 11 meter

Peak Motor Power: 260 kW
EV Range: 300 km
Battery Capacity : 300 kWh
Charging: DC Fast Charging 30 min
Price: 6.5 Million Baht
Source: Thai Smile Bus
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e-Tuk Tuk on Demand

MÜVMI is the first ride hailing of “electric tuk tuk”

in Bangkok and Thailand. The first service area is
located at Chulalongkon University which has
expanded to several areas in Bangkok.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/muvmi 27
Summary and recommendations
Summary
• In 2022, Ministry of Transport (MOT) EV plan has set a target to replace 4,412 ICE
buses with EV buses in 2027 (BMTA of 2,511 buses, Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) operators with BMTA of 1,500 buses, and the transport company limited of
401 buses.
• In 2022, the accumulative registration for fixed route city buses (15,473 buses) in
Thailand consists of 7,408 diesel buses, 5,621 CNG buses, and 953 battery-
electric buses, increasing -6.1% (YoY), -15.2 % (YoY), 707.6% (YoY), respectively.
• In 2022, the accumulative registration for fixed route city buses (9,053 buses) in
Bangkok consists of 2,794 diesel buses, 5,308 CNG buses, and 950 battery-
electric buses, increasing -4.7% (YoY), -15.4(YoY), 726.1 % (YoY), respectively.
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Summary and recommendations
Summary
• There are many types of charging technology available in the market such as
pantograph, plug-in, and wireless charging. In Thailand, only plug-in charging has
adopted due to the convenience and cost. The charge is conducted overnight and
mostly planned to charge once a day.
• Thailand has focused on local EV production and usage through investment incentives,
tax reduction and exemption, and monetary support to EV users.
• For electric bus, BOI has announced promotion packages, which includes a 3-year
corporate income tax exemption. This package attracts local electric bus
manufacturers and, potentially, help reduce electric bus price and increase local
supply to match demands from bus operators.

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Summary and recommendations
E-Bus Good Practice Recommendations
For Standardization and Pilot Projects
• Draft and enforce standards for electric buses and their components
• Set criteria for private electric bus operator
• Support electric bus operations in pilot areas or cities
For Infrastructure
• Set competitive charging fee for electric bus fleet
• Support installation of EV chargers in the electric bus depot
• Build or refurbish bus stops and public transport hubs
For Local Electric Bus Manufacturing (if apply)
• Support electric bus and part manufacturers
• Waive (temporary) import tax for battery cells to support domestic battery
assemblers
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 Summary and recommendations
Collaborative Solutions

Government Academic
Policy Research & Development
Regulation
Financial Support Human Resource
Development

Affordable Product Public Awareness &

and Service Consumer Behavior

Corporate Community
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EVAT – Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand.
Established: Nov. 2015
Goals: To promote the usage of EV in Thailand, to reduce air
pollution, and to improve energy efficiency in the Transport sector.
Corporate
Member

255

Individual
Member

113

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Thank you
Yossapong Laoonual, Ph.D.
E-mail: [email protected]

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