Sales of electric vehicles in Thailand surge 474% in first five months of the year

Image from The Nation Thailand/ANN

BANGKOK, June 17 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): More than 32,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were registered with the Ministry of Transport in the first five months of this year, compared to fewer than 2,000 in all 2021 and about 10,000 in all last year.

The surge followed an EV tax break that took effect last November increase sales of EVs, data from the ministry shows. The 80% tax break will continue until November 10, 2025.

Sirirat Veeravisan, deputy director general for technical affairs at the Ministry of Transport, said a total of 32,450 EVs were legally registered by their owners with the Department of Land Transport from January to end-May.

The number is equivalent to a 474.43% rise year on year in the registration of EVs.

The Ministry of Transport and the Department of Land Transport have implemented several policies to support the development of the EV industry and to encourage the public to use EVs, including the tax break.

It reduces the tax on vehicles by 80% for EVs in order to encourage more Thais to buy them. For example, a sedan weighing 1.8 tonnes normally incurs an annual tax of 1,600 baht, but if it is an EV the tax will ball to 320 baht. The tax break applies for one year after registration.

The use of EVs is being pushed to reduce the impact of air pollution, including fine particulate matter, or PM2.5.

Once cause of PM2.5 is internal combustion engines, which produce exhaust fumes and fine dust.

EVs can reduce air pollution because they do not emit fumes or PM2.5. - The Nation Thailand/ANN