Thailand Lays Out Bold EV Plan, Wants All Electric Cars by 2035
Thailand aims to only sell zero-emission vehicles in the country from 2035 as it works to transform itself from a Southeast Asian hub for the production of conventional autos to one making electric cars.
“We can see the world is heading in that direction so we have to move quickly,” Kawin Thangsupanich, secretary to the energy minister and an adviser to the ministry’s national policy committee, said in an interview. “We want to capture that growth post-pandemic, and we have the ambition to be the production center because we already have the existing supply chains.”
The automotive industry is one of Thailand’s most important sectors. It contributes to about 10% of the economy, employs 850,000 workers, and supports industries from iron and steel to petrochemicals and plastic. About half of the cars made in Thailand are exported to countries including the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Randy Thanthong-Knight
