Thai government prepares infrastructure for electric cars

BANGKOK, July 6 (TNA) - The Thai government, through agencies concerned, is preparing infrastructure for electric cars in response to their increasingly popular among motorists. Energy Ministry Spokesman Twarath Sutabutr , who is also Director-General of the ministry's Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), told journalists on Wednesday that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERD) will soon open for an official registration of standardised battery charging stations for electric vehicles. Besides, ERD will announce initial power fees in the domestic transport sector to be first enforced temporarily based on Time-Of-Use (TOU) rates, in which power fees are fixed during day times or night times, at 2.60 baht per unit during the night times and 6 baht per unit during day times, aimed to encourage motorists to have their car-batteries charged at night in order to avoid any peak consumption of electricity during the day. Twarath said that the moves followed a recent discussion between government agencies concerned and private car manufacturers in Thailand, during which all the car producers expressed their interest in manufacturing more electric vehicles to meet the rising market demand and asked for the Thai government to prepare infrastructure to cater for the rising number of electric cars in the country. In case of the Ministry of Energy, the EPPO chief acknowledged the National Energy Policy Committee has resolved that agencies concerned jointly proceed with a plan on realising the Thai government's policy on increasing the number of electric cars in the country to 1.2 million units over the next 20 years. In case of other ministries, the EPPO chief revealed that the Ministry of Industry will promote the production of more electric vehicles, as well as impose their appropriate tax rates and standard, while the Ministry of Transport will first test run 220 electric public buses and the ministry's Department of Land Transport will impose registration measures for electric vehicles. (TNA)