Ministry of Public Works is in the midst of initiating a national policy to support electric vehicles (EVs) in Cambodia.
To prepare this policy, Minister Sun Chanthol yesterday held a meeting with automobile importers led by the Cambodia Automotive Industry Federation.
“The meeting focused on the need for a national policy to support and promote EVs in Cambodia with the aim to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere,” the ministry said in a press statement.
Chanthol said the ministry is preparing a draft road transport policy to promote the use of EVs to contribute to reducing carbon emissions and also briefed the new cooperation between the ministry and UNDP to install EV charging stations at five locations, including at the ministry and some strategic locations in the capital and provinces.
Besides these charging stations, there will be another ten stations to be built in collaboration with the private sector, he added.
Chanthol also informed the participants of the role and commitment the ministry is taking to support EVs and its infrastructure.
He said the government is open to local and foreign investors coming in to invest in infrastructure development for EVs.
Regarding the national policy, Ministry spokesman Vasim Sorya said that the technical officials will undertake to prepare it.
“Technical officials are looking into whether to have a separate national policy for EVs or incorporate it with the road transport policy”, he added.
In February last year, the government issued a sub-decree on reducing the rate of special value-added tax on vehicle imports. For families and tourists using an EV, the rate of import tax was reduced from 30% to 10%, however, people expressed their concern over some infrastructure to support EVs.
Sum Panha, a local resident in Phnom Penh said EVs are good but they will face some problems if there are not enough EV charging stations, worse still if there is rain and floods.
“EV is nice for the environment but I think the infrastructure to support EVs needs to be there,” he added.