Kwaithong Motor has big plans to penetrate Thai electric bus market

Company president Sak Korsaengruang said Kwaithong Motor had been closely studying the EV market and had concluded there was huge future growth opportunity in the segment.
“Electric vehicles are important as they have proven social, environmental and economic benefits. With this thinking, we decided to expand our business into the Thai electric-vehicle market,” he said.
The Kwaithong electric bus features lithium-titanate battery technology.
“They are high performance, energy-saving and environmentally friendly. The batteries are manufactured in the US by Hybrid Kinetic Group, a pioneer in the design, research, development and manufacture of zero-emission electric vehicles,” Sak added. 
One of the benefits of the 116kWh/600V lithium-titanate battery is the short charging time – with a quick charge completed in 10 to 15 minutes – which means that top-up charging allows the bus to run multiple rounds in a day. 
The battery also has a high charging capacity, lasts over 10 years – or about 35,000 recharge cycles – and has been tested for safety, Sak explained. 
The powertrain consists of permanent magnet electric motors with maximum power at 200kW, or 268 horsepower. 
The Kwaithong electric bus is 12 metres long, 2.53m wide and 3.34m high, and can accommodate 80 passengers. 
With technological assistance from German commercial-vehicle giant MAN, the Kwaithong bus body is built with a monocoque structure from high-strength steel. 
Zhang Kwaithong, co-founder of Kwaithong Group and chief executive officer of Kwaithong Motor, said the company would strongly penetrate the Thai EV market during the course of this year. 
“The company will join any bidding opportunities with government transport projects such as the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, and through business alliances to attract both commercial-transport players and private organisations looking for zero-emission electric buses for use in their government-concessions running the public commuting routes and factory workers’ transportation,” he said.
Kwaithong Motor has already signed a contract with bus operator Wangkanchanakij to supply 200 electric buses, giving it a head start in the Thai market.