Thailand's government is pledging that all public transport it manages will use electric vehicles by the end of this decade as part of the Kingdom's climate change and sustainability agenda, and its program of new mobility and infrastructure projects.

Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the change would start with the Airports of Thailand's fleet of limousines serving the Kingdom's major airports. The Minister made the announcement at the annual Motor Expo in Bangkok.

Furthering that goal, the Asian Development Bank said it had signed a $110-million loan agreement with Energy Absolute, a private-sector Thai company, to purchase up to 1,200 electric buses (e-buses).

The Bangkok Metropolitan Transport Authority contracts out some of its public bus routes and services to private companies to increase the efficiency and coverage of the capital city. The e-buses will replace existing internal combustion-engine buses on existing routes in Bangkok.

The ADB said the e-buses will supplement public transport services covering 123 routes, nearly half of the city's public bus routes. The e-buses will be manufactured in Thailand and use at least 40 percent locally-sourced materials, including EV batteries.

"The project will make meaningful contributions to Thailand's climate ambitions by diversifying the transportation mix in favor of e-buses and to Thailand's policy to develop the EV industry," the ADB said.

"This project will result in reducing air and noise pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions. It is one of the first large-scale financing initiatives for e-buses in Thailand, showing its potential impact as a way of greening other public transport systems in the region," said ADB Director General for Private Sector Operations Suzanne Gaboury.

Source: Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C.