It is not easy to define a typical car commute in Thailand. In a blink of an eye, a tarmac-filled 2-hour crawl covering merely 6 kilometres in peak hour Bangkok can make way for a seamless, enjoyable 2-hour 160km drive from Bangkok to scenic Hua Hin. It is tough to pre-empt what type of vehicle can perform all tasks effectively. The traditional approach works most of the time - a 1.8-litre Altis (can’t believe I’m saying this!) is near-perfect for all types of terrains in Thailand. It provides excellent flow and paired with its bulletproof reliability, no wonder it is the default choice for taxi drivers.
But what if you prefer something more technologically advanced and eco friendly? PHEVs and full EVs come into the picture for sure, but did they make sense in 2021, and will they be viable options in 2022?
There are currently 3,000 full EVs (running purely on electricity) on Thai roads, not a significant number taking into account that forecasts indicate 900,000 total vehicle sales in 2021. Numbers aside, we observed that culture plays a huge part in EV adoption, just like in any other market. Some petrol kiosks in Thailand do have EV chargers, but they are tucked away in a corner and at first glance it could be mistaken for a tyre pump. At least for now, nothing beats the convenience of spending 5 minutes at the kiosks, which includes fuelling up, a toilet break and a quick bite at 7-11 (if you are pumping at a PTT station) - and you are good to go for another 500-700km before stopping again at one of countless pumps.
Regular, simple hybrids (not plug-in hybrids) sound like the way to go for Thailand in 2022, for consumers to familiarise with battery technology without relying on charging facilities. It’s the best of both words - the battery pack operates with the internal combustion engine to stretch miles per tank of fuel. Established Lexus/Toyota hybrids like the UX 250h and Altis Hybrid should be in the shortlist, along with self-charging hybrids like Nissan Kicks, Honda HR-V and Corolla Cross should dominate sales in 2022. Self-charging batteries are key! Clocking 20+km per litre of fuel at the very least should not be an issue in all types of traffic.
*fyi, the base-spec Toyota Cross is a 1.8-litre petrol-only option, while the other 4 feature-rich variants (including the GR Sport) all include hybrid tech - which goes to show the push to adopt hybrid tech ASAP.
In summary, we feel that full-fledged EVs are not quite ready for Thailand in 2022, even if the government waives the 80% import duty for EVs (not applicable for China-made EVs like Ora by GWM). But we are optimistic that there will be a more gradual adoption so long as charging facilities throughout the country embrace/mimic a "typical" refuelling stop, which means countless charging ports accompanied by ATM machines, convenience stalls, lottery sellers, snacks vendors on push carts.. you get the drift.
Hybrids with self-charging batteries are the way to go for now!
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