Thailand, already known as the Detroit of the East, is now aiming to be a global production hub of electric vehicles (EVs), Bangkok Post reports.
Demand for EVs has risen rapidly over the past five years and is expected to keep growing, and being an EV hub would help Thailand capitalise on strong demand for EV parts and batteries, said Thailand’s Science and Technology Minister Pichet Durongkaveroj.
“EVs are expected to be the new industry trend, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and saving limited oil resources,” Pichet pointed out at the opening ceremony of the Auto Parts Tech Day held at the Thailand Science Park in Pathum Thani province.
“The global automobile industry is focusing on EVs and biofuel vehicles, while Thailand is a hub for one-tonne pick-ups and eco-car production. It’s a natural fit for the country to prepare for EV output,” he added.
According to the minister, his ministry plans to train staff and prepare facilities for EVs and offer investment privileges to attract investors. Also on the cards are plans to coordinate with universities to set up fuel-cell training courses to be included in the area of mechanical engineering with the goal of creating EV experts.
To further support the vision, the ministry has allocated Thailand Science Park as an EV parts R&D centre, and is set to designate an industrial estate as a special-innovation zone (SIZ) to create new products for the EV sector. For the latter, the ministry will discuss incentive packages for eligible investors with the country’s National Economic and Social Development Board and Board of Investment.
Organisations that are already conducting EV testing include PTT Plc, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Provincial Electricity Authority and universities, running vehicles from small cars to buses.
If the current military-led Thai government pushes on with this EV plan, it will face Malaysia as a rival, as we have been making plenty of electric car sounds lately. Late last year, Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) CEO Mohamad Madani Sahari announced that two EV models will surface by 2017, priced below RM100k.
It was also reported that MAI will coordinate the EV project, setting aside RM10 million for local companies to conduct EV R&D. As the battery constitutes some 30% of the overall price of an EV, MAI will also work with manufacturers to introduce a battery leasing concept – full story here.
More recently, Chinese carmaker Beijing Auto International Corporation (BAIC) chose Malaysia as its regional electric vehicle manufacturing hub, with a plant in Kedah expected to be operational in July 2016. BAIC’s Gurun plant, which is being built at the cost of between RM200 million and RM300 million, will also serve as a marketing centre for BAIC vehicles for Malaysia and ASEAN.
Of course, we also have the just-launched COMOS EV car-sharing service and a small network of charging stations in the Klang Valley in place. Thailand vs Malaysia – who will win the EV battle?
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In order for Malaysia to stay competitive, the G should encourage local and foreign companies to set up factories to manufacture batteries for EVs. That’s the most crucial way to have the edge over Thailand.
Thailand don’t have parti keramat and kereta tongkat global.
Terima kasih Dr. M, bapa automotive industry Thailand. Now, instead of becoming an electric vehicle production hub, Malaysia becomes Proton’s protection hub
It is solely because of Proton that 30 million people in Malaysia suffer. Everybody’s biggest payment per month is their cars as we are paying overpriced cars. Don’t know why Malaysians are excited about fake electric car when Proton rogol all of us all these years.
Don’t waste hundreds of millions on electric car. Even Nissan Leaf is not selling well, whatmore Proton!
You see, in the 80s or even in the early 90s, you can get a brand new Nissan 130Y or a Toyota Corolla for RM20,000. Now, the same car is RM139,000.
In truth, the past 30 years, car prices have come down a lot globally and have NOT gone up due to inflation. It has come down due to economies of scale achieved by car companies. This is proven by the fact that you can get a brand new purely Japan made top spec 10 airbag Toyota Camry 2.5 in the US for US$22,000. That is about RM60,000. The normal B segment car like the Almera is sold in the US for US$9,999. (RM30,000). Mind you, this is after Toyota and Nissan of the US has made their margin and profits and the US government has collected taxes and duties from Nissan and Toyota. The direct from factory prices is far cheaper. UMW will get the above 2.5 Camry for US$15,000 from their principal in Japan. As our Camry is CKD, the price is even lower than that.
Our cars compared to global cars are completely stripped down. Even basic car in the US got about 20 safety features that the same car in Malaysia does not have. Purposely taken out to cut cost even further and untung more profit.
So, in actual fact, most Malaysians can enjoy cheap and reasonable cars but because of Proton, all the other car prices have been raised up tremendously to protect Proton. Malaysians have already suffered so much. For 30 years, 30 million people suffer so much. We struggle paying for our high car prices all because of one man’s dream of benefiting his friends and relatives and forcing the dying Proton to live with billions of our LHDN money, money which could be used to build more schools and hospitals.
If we did not have Proton sucking money from LHDN, each state can have an addition 10 fully fledged government hospitals and 10 fully fledged government schools every 10 years being built. But all our LHDN money go to the failing Proton. Every year government gives hundreds of million to Proton as form of grants. Every other year, Proton ask RM billions in help. Recently, even under private hands also (DRB) Proton asked the government to give them free few RM billions from LHDN.
Proton also cost us hundreds of billions in ringgit in investments from car companies who moved to Thailand and Indonesia. Car companies got fed up with Malaysia’s MITI for protecting Proton and telling other companies what to price their cars. They got sick and tired of the AP system and how genuine brands cannot get enough APs to import their cars in (like Mercedes, BMW and Honda).
They thought that if they set up their brands and plants in Malaysia, they knew they had to give 30% of their hard earned company free away as well as being told by MITI what to price their cars. They all moved their operations to Thailand making it the AutoCity of the world.
Recently GM announced that they rolled out already 1 million cars from Thailand. Imagine if GM was in Malaysia and we taxed GM RM10,000 per car. Calculate that with 1 million cars. Just from GM alone, we lost Billions in USD. Imagine what will the amount be from other car companies if they had set up in Malaysia?
Because of Proton, we lost hundreds of billion of ringgit in investment and trillions of ringgit from jobs lost. If Malaysia was the autocity of Asia, hundreds of thousands of jobs would have been created for Malaysians. We lost all that. Trillions of Ringgit and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, Thailand is benefiting from this trillions lost.
Car companies are flocking to invest hundreds of billions in Thailand despite Thailand being an unstable government, unstable economy and full of bomb blastings and terror.
Yet, global car companies still prefer Thailand. If Proton was not in Malaysia in the first place, you will have a few hundred thousand ringgit extra in your pocket!
Delusional stories, wake up please
We only talk talk only, Thailand be the hub and we talk the hub. This is called “Sendiri Cakap Sendiri Syok”
Wanna become EEV hub but nothing given to the car makers (car tax free till this 31/12 only). phuih!
As long as they is no high hands at work it is possible. Unfortunately with NEP and cronies want things to be more for their pockets. It is just another Wawasan2020 dreams!
Without NAP, Proton will close shop
Nah, only junky p2
Hohoho…same goal as Malaysia yet they have a more conducive environment for automakers to set up shop. Malaysia seems to have more of a head-start at the moment, but as we all know in the automotive world: the first one to do something doesn’t mean they’ll end up at the top.
Thailand gov is damn quick! they already in plan to add human resource to welcome EV by enhance their currect education with EV engineering.Come on Malaysia!
Malaysia cannot lah. All have to wait for Proton
What’s relation between p1 and education?
Satu lagi kegagalan MITI. EEV NAP is a joke, easily thrashed by Thailand.
Better think of next type of vehicle to be pioneered here. How about Flintstone legtronic car or Jetsons flying car?
Submarine car by Lotus also okay, as long as using Toyota engine jimat minyak kurang rosak power window water proof.
Toyota fuel guzzler
Exora turbo : 8.5km/k
CAmry 2.0 : 7km/l
Sedan vs MPV?
Sama2 bodoh macam menteri 3.85.
Bodoh both weight are 1.4 tonne
Lu tau kira ke tak?
Exora turbo : 8.5km/kl
Prius: 24km/l
Both weigh 1.4tonne!!
Congrats compare between hybrid and petrol
Bodoh tu simpan sikit untuk anak cucu
RV hybrid is so so. After lesser than 5 years being ditched lol
Teruknya enjin Toyota ni
Congrats for bringing your stupidity from other article to here
1.6l Turbo CFE is more powerful than 2.0l toyota engine. Yet more frugal.
Compare turbo with non turbo? Bodoh mmg tak boleh simpan
Stupid comparison of the year
Sudah butthurtkah?
Kahkahkah
Butthurt? Nah, only pity you
Baru tau rupanya Toyota ni lagi kuat makan minyak dari p1, lebih teruk dari lembu minum air!!!
Baru tau rupanya Proton supporters mmg otak lutut, sebodoh lembu
Bodo tatau tengok nombor
Maith failed 404, go back to school
Exora is 8.5km/L.
Camry 2.0 is 7.2L/100km. u get at least 13km/L
with Toyota 2.0 VVT-iW.
See carbase lor
Camry 2.0G – 7.3l/100km or 13.69km/l
Exora 1.6T Premium – 7l/100km or 14.28km/l
Exora more frugal than Camry
Both about 1400kg
Wow, first you say Exora is 8.5km/l, now you say is 14.28km/l? Stop lying, you stupid supporters! Malaysians are not stupid like you
thank you Dr.M
Proton Iriz Electric car is simply dead before arrival. Better lelong it buy 1 free 1 to clear old stocks. Add 30 years warranty is OK too.
Thailand? How could they steal our idea?! We want to be the Hub first… backoff! We will go to international court and sue your pants off.. We Malaysian need protection! Is unfair for us to compete as we simply can’t.
no need RnD,
Tesla is opening up for any companies to copy its EV technology for FREE instead of having them patented and earn from royalties.
Toyota is doing the same with the Fuel Cell model, Furai.
Power window patent should be free too. No need lifetime warranty.
Seeeelllloooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
and sudah basi
our country needs to stay competitive by making changes accordingly to the auto law instead of still sticking to the old regulations. old regulations tend to wear off in practicality terms as the world is changing in a very fast pace.
EV has zero emission? That is news to me…
Lu baru keluar gua atau tempurung kelapa?
Please allow me the following quotes :
Even if technology were developed to charge a 310-mile car in 12 minutes, the Toyota executive Yoshikazu Tanaka said, it would probably end up “using up electricity required to power 1,000 houses.”
In other words, battery-powered cars will hog all of the electricity. Mass use of fast charging would overwhelm the grid, he said.
Spot on! Quick to find a future problem. That is why Hybrid EEV comes in! There are all sort of fuel we can use to power an engine. Try more methods of fuels which is less toxics and recyclable. The new game to future technology has just begins!
Would this mean electric bills are going to jump like Jordan Air? Unless we have Tony Stark to give us a solution..
Even Toyota executive is smarter than Proton CEO that syiok sendiri cakap want to transform Malaysia into Asian electric vehicle hub. Normal petrol engine pun tak boleh buat baik, mahu develop electric car kah?
Ady frugal than Toyota engine
Jepunis can go buck up.
Recently I heard Malaysia wants to be a hub for a lot of things. Hub EV serantau, hub penerbangan tambang murah, hub kewangan Islam, hub this, hub that.
Want to fight Thailand for EV hub sure we have no chance. I think we better concentrate on becoming hub for hubby? This one no need investment and expensive factories.
Hub for power window parts. Lagi kuat rosak, lagi bagus, lagi banyak sales.
Ala Toyota airbags pun rosak. Bunuh orang lagi.
Today someone died in an accident in a Proton Saga
Biasa la Toyota kalau kena saman baru nak recall, even safety parts no quality, how?
Thailand and Malaysia should co-operate to encourage/promote EVs in the region
A coorperation requires both parties to bring something on the table. What can Malaysia bring? Labour? Technology? Or our experience in Automatic industry protection using AP?
Thailand will probably move faster without Malaysia as inter-country collaboration has alot of political and redtapes to filter.
“If the current military-led Thai government pushes on with this EV plan, it will face Malaysia as a rival, as we have been making plenty of electric car sounds lately”
Sums it up. Malaysia’s EV project is going to be just “sounds” while the Thai auto industry passes us by without looking back.
Thailand will beat Malaysia to the finish line by becoming the regional EV production hub so we can now kiss our dreams of owning cheap EVs goodbye.
Malaysia always like to talk kok sing song but in the end no action done and I bet Thailand got sick of our singing and decided to take action first.
Malaysia is (or already) set to be the production of moron hub. 1MDB, Attantuya,perkasa dan lain lain… undisputed!
make sure malaysia build more charging station for EV else we can forgive it and Thailand will catch up us
Where is the 30% reduction of car prices and 2014 NAP ?
Hello MITI wake up its
June 2015 already !!!
I’m not surprise Thai would be a rival to Malaysia in EV Hub of Asian. Thai just need any existing car manufacture to expand production plan and financial investment to EV vehicle unlike Malaysia Proton EV still at incubation stage. Thailand has a head start, so it need to fine tune the EV vehicle policy manufacturer that attract EV manufacturer to expand and investment.
Thailand will never accept a Korean Car company to setup their plant.
That is because it will drag Thailand down as production hub for quality vehicles
Sammy, you better focus on coming up with electric car of Proton [or Potong] or Kencil rather than International court.