Following a series of successful tests, Thailand’s trucking industry is now considering whether to convert its fleet of 400,000 diesel trucks to electric vehicles (EVs) in April of next year.
According to Apichart Prairungruang, President of the Land Transport Association of Thailand (LTAT), the government’s new measures to support Thailand’s EV industry prompted moves to consider switching from diesel to electric trucks.
Apichart said the association has assembled a team of engineers to perform a series of tests on each vehicle in order to ensure they meet all safety requirements before being put into service.
The LTAT president added that the team has also been tasked with discussing future maintenance issues, after-sales service and the availability of charging stations along all service routes.
Due to the shorter battery life of EV trucks, which is around six years compared to 7-10 years for diesel vehicles, and the higher cost to maintain the fleet, Apichart estimates the selling price of each EV truck at 5-6 million baht.
This is at least twice the cost of regular diesel trucks that sell for around 2.5 million baht per unit. (NNT)
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