Great Wall Motor (GWM) recently announced an alliance with three electricity authorities: the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), and Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), to promote and support Thailand’s EV industry and to develop charging stations in order to further fulfil electricity infrastructure at the ‘Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony on EV Ecosystem Enhancement between GWM and EGAT, MEA, and PEA’.
The expertise of GWM as Thailand’s EV leader and the three electricity authorities in electric energy will strengthen the complete EV ecosystem and accelerate the EV industry in Thailand to grow sustainably.
The ceremony was held on 27 April 2022 at the GWM Experience Center at ICONSIAM. It was presided over by Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Energy, and attended by Michael Chong, Vice President of Great Wall Motor (Thailand); Boonyanit Wongrukmit, Governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand; Wilas Chaloeysat, Governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority; and Supachai Ek-Un, Governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, along with GWM’s executives: Narong Sritalayon, Managing Director and Khanchit Chaisupho, Vice President of External and Government Affairs.
Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Energy, said: “The MOU signing on EV ecosystem enhancement and charging station development between GWM and EGAT, the MEA, and PEA reflects the vital role of the government and the private sector in collaborating to drive related policy from the government and Ministry of Energy. It also pushes Thailand toward a low-carbon society by promoting a business-friendly environment for EV production and sales as well as the construction of charging stations that cover most areas. This will help improve the country’s infrastructure, while also allowing the EV industry to grow in an efficient and effective manner.”
Michael Chong, Vice President of Great Wall Motor (Thailand), said: “Since the government has a policy to support the EV industry, many sectors have joined hands to drive Thailand toward a future of mobility. GWM was among the first car brands to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Thai government to push forward the EV policy. The collaboration between GWM and EGAT, the MEA, and PEA will strengthen Thailand’s seamless EV ecosystem by exploring insights on charging stations, sharing expertise in installing charging stations, along with knowledge exchange for technology, innovation, and service. By 2022, GWM plans to have 55 charging stations. The collaboration with the three electricity authorities will help us substantially achieve this goal. Moreover, GWM has strengthened our regional strategy of ‘Based in Thailand, Radiating ASEAN’, which aims to promote and support Thailand’s policy of becoming the hub for EV production and expanding into ASEAN. In the near future, we will again collaborate with partners to offer greater convenience to Thai consumers with electric vehicles, and explore new methods and more industry opportunities to support Thailand’s EV industry development growing further while elevating the ASEAN mobility industry.”
Boonyanit Wongrukmit, Governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, added: “As a state enterprise managed by the Ministry of Energy, EGAT has been an expert in electricity development for 52 years and is committed to continuously supporting the construction of Thailand’s EV ecosystem for entrepreneurs and manufacturers in terms of electric vehicle production, charging station network, and application development to allow information sharing with efficient, convenient, safe, and fast operations. EGAT is delighted to join forces with GWM, the leading EV company, to help drive Thailand towards achieving the goal of producing 30% EVs of all car production by 2030, to greatly reduce the problems of air pollution and global warming and create a green society in Thailand. Currently, EGAT has opened 49 EleX by EGAT stations and partner stations in the EleXA network across the country and aims to reach up to 120 EleX by EGAT stations within 2022 to cover the areas nationwide.”
Wilas Chaloeysat, Governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, said: “MEA is a state enterprise that has been committed to continuously driving toward EV usage in Thailand for the past ten years. We are happy to partner with GWM to support and accelerate initiatives related to the ‘30@30’ policy by the Ministry of Energy’s EV board to prepare our country for a transition to the EV society and create a more complete EV ecosystem. Currently, MEA has plans to improve the power distribution system in the area to be a ‘Smart Metro Grid’ and is aiming to expand the number of charging stations to cover all areas of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan. At the same time, to elevate user’s convenience, we also offer a high-quality and safe MEA EV charging plies operated through MEA EV app, which has been developed to enhance efficiency and users’ experience. The platform will be seamlessly connected with smart electric charger management that can calculate related statistics related to charging and allow further development for electric systems and service providers. In turn, it will support the usage of EVs in Thailand, and we are willing to collaborate with every private sector to support the government policy in the future.
Supachai Ek-Un, Governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority, concluded: “With the intention of GWM to upgrade the Thai electric vehicle ecosystem to international standards, the PEA is geared up to support GWM by expanding the electric infrastructure even further. As a state enterprise for electricity that provides services in all 75 provinces, we currently have 73 charging stations and have a target to expand by 190 more stations to 263 stations within 2023. Also, we aim to develop PEA VOLTA app that allows users to locate the stations, navigate, charge, pay, and check charging history more conveniently. We are strongly confident that this cooperation will encourage people across Thailand to use more electric vehicles and result in a green society, higher employment, and economic improvement.”
The collaboration between GWM and the three major electric authorities will cover the development of electric power infrastructure to support the growth of electric vehicles in Thailand, including the installation and development of charging stations, sharing key knowledge in operations, and enhancing the apps and related platforms, along with future marketing activities, with details as follows:
- The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT): Cooperate to expand the network of EV fast-charging stations nationwide and develop a charging mobile app, which can be used across platforms to exchange points and to identify charging station networks to facilitate users. It will also cooperate in marketing promotions, a development of EV related products and services, a joint study in battery technology and development, and other possible business opportunities.
- The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA): Technical information exchange and research studies on the feasibility of reusing and recycling electric vehicle batteries as well as training in electric charging stations – the main partner in installing charging stations for G-Charge stations, partner stores, and destination charging terminals. Users can book available charge stations and make payments through both the MEA app and the GWM app. In addition, it will also encourage the creation of electric vehicle products and services to accelerate Thai society towards a sustainable low-carbon society.
- The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA): Technical information exchange of electric vehicle operating systems and charging station systems for safe use, along with being the main partner in expanding the field installation of electric transformers for GWM’s partner stores and destination charging terminals, building user confidence and safety in using electricity as well as supporting marketing campaigns. Additionally, app development will be able to link the data of the charging stations and facilitate the booking of charging stations and payments through the app as well.
The commitment to this partnership by GWM as the ‘Global Intelligent Technology Company’ reinforces GWM’s recognition of the importance of strengthening the electric vehicle ecosystem and is in line with the guidelines for the development of Thailand’s electric vehicle industry, working with partners in various sectors continuously to encourage Thailand towards a sustainable electric vehicle society following long-term economic and social development plans.
