Transport minister Sun Chanthol (centre) and representatives of BYD Auto Industry and Huan Ya He Zhong Cambodia on November 24. MPWT
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has expanded its cooperation with the private sector, both nationally and internationally, to encourage the use of electric vehicles (EV) in the Kingdom.
The ministry recently agreed to allow BYD Auto Industry to invest in the installation of 200 EV charging kiosks across the country.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said the deal would encourage the private sector, including companies operating gasoline stations, to build more EV charging points infrastructure, which would encourage the public to adopt the use of EVs more widely.
He mentioned that the UN Development Programme (UNDP) had previously laid out a road map and provided four vehicle charging kiosks with the goal of building people’s confidence in using them and expanding the installation of EV chargers in Cambodia.
Henry Yip, a representative for BYD Auto Industry, said his company decided to invest in the vehicle charging kiosks in Cambodia as it is keen to to expand the use of EVs on the basis of the Kingdom’s policy vision to use renewable energy and push towards a green economy.
He added that the plans to install 200 EV charging kiosks across Cambodia would be completed by 2023, noting that the company has plans to import EVs to Cambodia as well as implement other advanced technologies in the Kingdom’s marketplace.
He asked that the ministry design a policy to encourage people to begin to use EVs more, such as a training programme to give the Kingdom’s mechanics the skills to repair such vehicles as well as access to the necessary spare parts.
At present, the use of EVs seemed to be on the rise. In the first seven months of 2022, 155 EVs were registered at the transport ministry, compared to just 11 in the same period last year, an increase of a whopping 1,300 per cent.
At present, Cambodia has just seven EV charging kiosks: One each in Preah Sihanouk, Battambang and Siem Reap provinces and another four at the transport ministry in Phnom Penh.
The ministry previously announced plans to install 15 EV charging points in the capital and other provinces, in collaboration with the private sector. This new plan by BYD Auto Industry therefore represents a significant boost to the scope of planned EV infrastructure development in the Kingdom.
