House, EV Board Tapped into measures to encourage the private sector to use electric buses and trucks, deducting taxes twice as much, first phase targeting 10,000 vehicles, along with building a battery base. Push Thailand to be the center of EV ASEAN. Mr. Settha Thavisin, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chaired the meeting of the National Electric Vehicle Policy Committee (EV Board) No. 1/2024. The meeting agreed to improve measures to support the use of large commercial electric vehicles. Both electric buses (E-Bus) and electric trucks (E-Truck) to support the business sector in reducing carbon emissions. Open the way for the private sector to turn expenses into corporate income tax deductions. For purchasing electric buses and electric trucks for use without specifying a high price ceiling In the case of purchasing a vehicle produced/assembled within the country Expenses can be deducted 2 times and in the case of importing ready-made cars from abroad. Expenses can be deducted 1.5 times. This measu re is effective until the end of 2025. The meeting assigned the Ministry of Finance. Set guidelines Which measures are being issued to support the use of electric buses and electric trucks this time. To build on the EV3 and EV3.5 measures, focusing on the passenger car group. motorcycle and mainly pickup trucks It is expected that such measures It will help accelerate the conversion of at least 10,000 large commercial vehicles to electric vehicles, reinforcing our position as the region's EV center for all types of vehicles. At the same time, the EV board also approved measures to promote investment in the production of cell-level batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS) to attract cell-level battery manufacturers. which is an upstream production using advanced technology to invest in Thailand Investors can request benefits and financial support from the Fund to Increase the Competitiveness of the Country under the BOI, with the basic conditions for investors as follows: (1) Must be a leading producer of batteries used by electric vehicle manufacturers. (2) Must have a plan to produce battery cells for electric vehicles. Battery cells for energy storage systems (ESS) can also be produced. (3) Battery cells must be produced with a specific energy value of not less than 150 Wh/Kg, and (4) there must be a minimum number of charging cycles (Life Cycle). Less than 1,000 rounds, with the deadline for submitting investment project proposals within 2027. The meeting assigned the subcommittee to promote the electric vehicle manufacturing industry. Go study guidelines for comprehensive management of used batteries. to determine appropriate measures Both managing used batteries and safety standards Mr. Chai Watcharong, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, said that at the EV board meeting It was also agreed to improve measures to support the use of electric vehicles, Phase 2 or EV 3.5, such as expanding the scope of electric vehicles that are eligible to cover passenger cars that seat no mor e than 10 people, and increasing the specifications of electric motorcycles. In cases where the battery size is less than 3 kWh, the running distance is more than 75 kilometers per charge cycle. Including safety standards Able to join EV3.5 measures to meet the needs of more entrepreneurs. In the past, government measures to promote the electric vehicle industry It can stimulate the domestic EV market to grow exponentially. The number of EV vehicle registrations will reach more than 76,000 vehicles in 2023, an increase of 6.5 times from the previous year. Leading to integrated investment in the EV industry. At the end of 2023, the BOI has promoted the EV industry for 103 projects with a total investment of 77,192 million baht, divided into 18 EV car projects worth 40,004 million baht and 9 EV motorcycle projects. 848 million baht, EV buses and EV trucks, 3 projects, 2,200 million baht, batteries for EVs and ESS, 39 projects, 23,904 million baht, key parts 20 projects, 6,031 million baht, and electric charging stations, 14 projects, 4,205 million baht 'The Prime Minister emphasizes the importance and support of the electric vehicle industry to become the center of EV ASEAN. Aiming to drive EV cars of all types to get Thai people to turn to electric cars to help reduce PM 2.5 and help reduce pollution emissions in the transportation sector even more,' said a spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office. Source: Thai News Agency