Philippines, Laos ready to plug into electric vehicles
MANILA--The Philippines and Laos are keen to introduce electric vehicles and make EV production key industries in the future, a development that may benefit Japanese automakers. Japanese carmakers, world leaders in EV technology, see potentially profitable business opportunities in the Southeast Asian EV market.
In Laos, which has abundant hydroelectric power, electricity charges are half of those in ThailandThe Laos government is implementing a project to convert 40 percent of the nation’s motorcycles, tricycles and four-wheel vehicles into EVs by 2020 with the cooperation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Laos aims to reduce its dependence on imported fuels such as gasoline by making EVs the mainstream vehicles in the future, when automobiles are expected to proliferate.
In the Philippines, an official of the Energy Department estimates 10,000 jobs will be created if the country domestically produces 100,000 electric tricycles.
