After a series of successful tests, Thailand’s trucking industry is weighing whether to convert its fleet of 400,000 diesel trucks to electric vehicles (EVs) in April of next year.
According to Apichart Prairungruang, the president of the Land Transport Association of Thailand (LTAT), the government’s recent initiatives to boost Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) industry have led considerations to migrate from diesel to electric trucks.
Apichart stated that the organization has established a team of engineers to run a number of tests on each vehicle before they are put into operation to guarantee they meet all safety regulations.
The team has also been entrusted with discussing future maintenance difficulties, after-sales service, and the availability of charging stations along all service routes, according to the president of LTAT.
Due to the shorter battery life of EV trucks, which is approximately six years compared to 7–10 years for diesel vehicles, and the greater cost of fleet maintenance, Apichart believes that each EV truck will sell for 5–6 million baht.
This is at least twice the price of conventional diesel trucks, which sell for approximately 2.5 million baht each unit.
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