Thailand Ministry of Transport targets EV transition for 640,000 public vehicles

Thailand's Ministry of Transport has announced a plan to transition public and service vehicles to electric vehicles (EV) to reduce oil dependency, lower travel costs, and improve passenger safety. Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat stated that the project, supported by a 24 billion baht budget under a larger 400 billion baht loan decree, targets seven specific vehicle groups totaling approximately 640,000 units.

The targeted groups include taxis and e-hailing vehicles, public motorcycles, tuk-tuks, regular buses, non-regular buses, student transport vehicles, and transport trucks. If the plan is fully implemented, it is estimated to reduce oil consumption by 212 million liters per year and significantly cut carbon dioxide emissions.

While the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is not part of this specific initial project due to separate budget allocations for 1,520 new vehicles expected by March 2027, the Ministry plans to seek additional funds in 2028 to transition the entire BMTA fleet to EV. The project is currently undergoing review processes and awaiting constitutional court rulings.