Government must promote electric car industry: Dhanin
THE government needs to strategically invest in supporting an electric vehicle industry if it wants to maintain the country’s status as the region’s automotive hub and prevent international automotive companies moving their plants to other countries, said Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP).
Dhanin said that Thailand should do the same for a high-speed train system and also import specific talent from around the world to enhance the development of innovative industries, such as the railway and automobile sectors, as well as robotics.
He said that a high-speed train network would help modernise Thailand similar to what King Rama V did with the creation of the railway system during his reign.
The government also needs to establish an electric vehicle industry in Thailand, so that major electric vehicle makers will not set up plants in rival countries, such as Indonesia, Vietnam and he Philippines, he said.
“I was informed by the chairman of MG [Morris Garages] in Shanghai, who said that in the next four years the price of electric cars will be cheaper than any engine-based vehicles, as they require fewer key components and comprise an electronic device, the motor and the battery,” Dhanin said.
He added that with the birth of the electric vehicle industry in Thailand, self-driving vehicles would be also pop up.
“Without the new generation of electric vehicles, Thailand will stay with the old automotive generation of engine-based vehicles. By catching up the new generation of electric vehicles, all international automotive companies will not dare to make any move from the country,” he said.
The Prayut Cabinet last August approved measures to promote the production of electric cars or battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Thailand. Interested companies have to submit a comprehensive investment plan that covers from the plan to assemble BEVs and produce key components, such as batteries and motors, in order to be eligible for tax privileges.
The Cabinet also assigned the related state agencies to establish the standards of the vehicles.
CP Group was asked by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to develop the Bangkok-Pattaya high-speed train route, which is one of the country’s major economic routes.
“By encouraging the private sector to build a high-speed train system on the Bangkok-Pattaya route, the government needs to develop a new city in the area as well as bring talent from all over the world into the country to help move the country forward,” he said.
He added that U Tapao Airport should be upgraded to become the country’s commercial airport.
The robotic industry should also be promoted to become bigger, he added. And as many workers are replaced by robots in specific labour-intensive areas, labourers should break into other sectors, as transport and logistics o look at becoming business entrepreneurs, he said.
Dhanin said the dawn of the robotics era in could significantly enhance companies’ operational efficiency, as unlike humans robots could work efficiently 24 hours a day.
Earlier Dhanin said that CP was eyeing high-technology businesses such as pharmaceuticals and biotech food as part of its shift towards the digital economy to cash in on the global trend.
