Chongqing- Bridging News interviewed Dr. Yossapong Laoonual, Head of the Mobility and Vehicle Technology Research Center at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) on Sep. 5, at a sub-event of the 2025 World Smart Industry Expo, who shared views on strengthening Thailand’s Electric Vehicle (EV) industry for long-term competitiveness.
Dr. Yossapong Laoonual, Head of the Mobility and Vehicle Technology Research Center at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (Photo/ Chongqing Merchants Testing Vehicle Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.)
Under Thailand’s EV 30@30 vision, the country aims for zero-emission vehicles to make up at least 30 percent of total production by 2030, supported by government policies and charging infrastructure.
Thailand has introduced a broad EV policy framework that includes investment promotion, demand incentives, tax benefits, and battery measures, supported by EV 3.0 and 3.5 packages, R&D and workforce training, and a Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to strengthen its EV ecosystem and global competitiveness.
Thailand’s EV 3.0 package, launched in 2022, offered subsidies, tax cuts, and lower import duties to spur early adoption. The EV 3.5 package, starting in 2024, continues subsidies but links them to local production, reducing import support while encouraging domestic EV and component manufacturing.
Dr. Yossapong Laoonual noted that these measures have already started to reshape the market, allowing Chinese automakers to take the lead in Thailand’s four-wheel EV market, even as local auto parts suppliers struggle with price competition and limited technological capacity.
He highlighted Chongqing-based Changan Automobile’s decision to open its first overseas factory in Thailand this May, along with plans for a local research and development center, as a sign of deepening China–Thailand cooperation that could further boost the country’s emerging automotive industry.
To build a sustainable EV ecosystem, he thinks Thailand needs to expand demand for commercial vehicles, strengthen local supply chains and testing capacity, scale up research and technology transfer, and resolve high insurance costs and limited financing that discourage consumer adoption.
Statistics: Overview of EV Status in Thailand. (Graphics/ Dr. Yossapong Laoonual)
Dr. Yossapong Laoonual noticed that EVs already account for nearly 20 percent of new car sales in Thailand, and he expects this share to continue rising as adoption accelerates.
In 2024, Thailand produced 1.47 million passenger cars and 2.43 million motorcycles, including 208,506 electric vehicles. These comprised 9,688 battery electric vehicles, a year-on-year increase of more than 5,800 percent, 7,981 plug-in hybrids, a decline of 11.2 percent, and 190,837 hybrids, an increase of 30.6 percent.
In 2024, Thailand’s electric passenger car-to-charger ratio stood at 28, while the number of EV DC charging outlets exceeded the 2025 target by 40 percent. Most chargers are located at gas stations, department stores, and office buildings.
In addition to domestic policies, Dr. Yossapong highlighted Thailand’s active role in international cooperation.
KMUTT is a leading Thai public research university in science, engineering, and technology, and a key partner in the ASEAN EV Accelerator Programme, led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific with support from Energy Foundation China.
KMUTT Bangmod Campus. (Photo/ KMUTT)
Key activities include assessing EV demand, consulting stakeholders, holding regional forums, and developing an Electric Vehicle Readiness Index to gauge ASEAN preparedness. The programme also offers policy and technical frameworks to support ecosystem development and strengthen regional cooperation.
"We are working with other ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia, to make sure EV adoption can be implemented across the region," he said. "The project just started this year and will continue until next year."
According to Dr. Yossapong, knowledge from this collaboration is already applied in Thailand through policy recommendations, workforce training, technology transfer, and support for innovation via start-ups and cross-sector partnerships.
He concluded that Thailand must move beyond assembly to build a full EV value chain from R&D to after-sales, and with stronger policies and regional collaboration, develop a resilient ecosystem that boosts global competitiveness and supports greener transport.
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