The Cambodian government aims to increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in its inventory to 30,000 by 2030 according to the National Policy on the Development of EVs 2024-2030, which was released on Thursday.
The Kingdom is also planning to increase its number of electric scooters to 720,000 and three-wheel electric vehicles to 20,000 by 2030 according to the same document.
“The vision of the national policy is to transform Cambodia into a country with an optimal number of EVs in order to support and achieve sustainable development and ensure our people’s well-being,” the government said in a press release.
It added that EVs have gained popularity in Cambodia thanks to their lower fuel expenditures and environmental friendliness.
“Driving an EV costs only 9,633 riel ($2.35) for a distance of 100 kilometers, while using petrol or diesel cars costs up to 35,723 riel ($8.71),” it said.
Cambodia has officially registered a total of 1,614 electric cars, 914 electric scooters and 440 three-wheeler electric vehicles to date, along with 21 EV charging stations.
The three most popular EV brands in Cambodia are China’s BYD, Japan’s Toyota and America’s Tesla, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
The government reduced import duties on EVs to make them roughly 50 percent lower than the taxes on traditional internal combustion engine vehicles beginning in 2021.
Udom Pisey, an EV manager at Car4you Co Ltd, which imports Letin Mengo EVs from China, said EVs have far fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel vehicles so maintenance and repair costs are also cheaper.
“Using EVs not only saves money on fuel, but also reduces air pollution,” she said. Xinhua
