PTT aids Mitsubishi eco-car
PTT is working with Mitsubishi Motors Thailand to evaluate the efficiency and performance of the new generation Mitsubishi i-MiEV eco-friendly electric car.
The goal is to encourage alternative energy usage and to construct the first pilot charging station in Thailand by year-end.
Chaicharearn Atibaedya, executive vice president of the PTT Research and Technology Institute, said yesterday that PTT and Mitsubishi Motors hope the research project will encourage the wide-scale use of electric vehicles (EV) in Thailand in three to five years.
That should lead to the effective reduction of fuel consumption and air pollution, the executive said.
The technical evaluations of the i-MiEV and charger would focus on energy consumption, practical use in Thailand and driving range per charge.
PTT will construct the pilot EV charging station at the PTT Research and Technology Institute in Ayutthaya's Wang Noi district.
Nobuyuki Murahashi, president of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co, said Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has emphasised the research and development of electric vehicles for more than 40 years.
"Energy security, against environmental pollution and global warming, are the key factors of the i-MiEV development concept. Currently, Mitsubishi i-MiEVs are produced and sold not only in Japan but also in Europe and other countries around the globe. And they will soon be available in North America.
"Such a collaborative research study has been conducted for the preparation of facilities with other government authorities in over 10 countries.
"Today, collaborative research between PTT and Mitsubishi Motors Thailand is one of the essential movements towards the new era of EV in Thailand as a society of environment consciousness, as well as a step ahead for the Thai automobile industry in the near future," he said.
