Transport minister Sun Chanthol inaugurate a new EV kiosk at a PTT gas station on March 1. MPWT
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has been developing a new road transport policy, which will include a roadmap for promoting electric mobility with additional incentives for importing and using electric vehicles (EVs) in Cambodia.
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Ministry spokesman Vasim Sorya told The Post on March 2 that the working group of the General Department of Land Transport is developing the general policy, noting that one part of it serves as a roadmap for both public and private stakeholders for the expansion of EV use in the Kingdom.
He said he did not know exactly when the policy-making process would be finished, but that it would incentivise the import of EVs and installation of more EV charging kiosks.
"This policy will provide additional incentives for the private sector to import EVs. Relevant parties will discuss it in more detail, especially the introduction of import procedures and other tax incentives. This work is inter-ministerial and so must be done through consultations,” he said.
Tan Monivann, president of the Cambodia Automotive Industry Federation (CAIF), said electric mobility is currently limited due to the mindset of the people who are concerned about the quality of EVs and a lack of charging kiosks.
He said that if the government encouraged more investment in EV charging kiosks, he believed that people would consider using EVs as this type of vehicle has many advantages.
"We see that the ministry has been encouraging the import of EVs to promote more usage in the country as more charging kiosks have opened.
"But it takes a long time for charging and requires 100 to 200 kilowatts of power, while the current kiosks only have power of 30 to 40 kilowatts. So, we need more investment to boost adoption,” he said, noting that relevant government institutions are working to address this and other issues.
He said these include facilitating the import and incentivising the private sector while trying to offset public expenditure on EV infrastructure and the incentives.
Ngorn Saing, the CEO of RMA Cambodia, said that as an importer of EVs to the Kingdom, his company really needs this policy to be enacted, but that the private sector would not demand too much to make the state lose money on the project.
"On behalf of the private sector doing business related to [importing] EVs, RMA really needs these incentives, especially in relation to taxes, while the government has provided some exemptions related to import duties.
"EVs are a bit difficult to sell because our people's mindsets are still limited about this kind of vehicle. But as the government pays more attention by creating more charging kiosks, we will continue to import more new brands of EVs,” he said.
The transport ministry on March 1 inaugurated three more new EV charging kiosks in Phnom Penh under the name "PTT EV Station Pluz" at PTT gas stations in three different districts: Chbar Ampov, Prek Pnov and Chroy Changvar.
The new kiosks aim to boost electric mobility and contribute to the 2050 carbon neutral movement.
There are currently a total of 13 EV charging kiosks across the country, including four at the transport ministry, one at AEON Mall Sen Sok, one at TOTAL Chamkar Dong gas station, and one each in the provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk and Mondulkiri.
The three newly inaugurated kiosks are located at PTT Chbar Ampov on National Road 1, PTT Prek Pnov on National Road 5 and PTT Chroy Changvar on National Road 6.
