18 INTERVIEW
Mercedes-Benz supporting Thailand to become Asia’s clean mobility hub
Axel Bense, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing (Thailand) Mercedes-Benz has been investing in the production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Thailand and gearing up for the launch of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the local market. This exclusive interview with Mr. Axel Bense, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing (Thailand), focuses on Thailand’s electric vehicles industry and how the German company will help Thailand to become a hub for next generation automobiles. Mr. Bense is overseeing the assembly of PHEVs and the production of Mercedes-Benz EV batteries in Thailand. Electric vehicles are gaining popularity worldwide. Is Thailand still in the early stage of adopting EV technology? The fact that the EV infrastructure in Thailand is still in its infancy probably the reason why full EVs have no mar ket share, unlike in Europe. One of the fastest ways to push the market is with government support for building an extensive EV infrastructure such as more charging stations. In Europe, there are government-supported high-speed charging stations in public areas where EVs can be charged for free. EVs can be also charged at home. This type of incentive will certainly encourage growth of the Thai EV market.
UPDATE 3/2021
Mercedes-Benz has initiated a “Charge to Change” campaign to raise awareness of EVs. We are ready to facilitate full EV production, including batteries. The campaign aims to encourage plug-in hybrid users of all automobile brands to take part in reducing the amount of PM 2.5, simply by daily charging. We also aim to make Thailand the clean mobility hub of Asia. What is the current demand for PHEVs among Thai and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) customers in comparison to Europe? In terms of the EV industry, South-East Asian countries are ver y far behind China and Europe. Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand are
at about the same level. Actually, Thailand is ASEAN’s leader in terms of automobile sales volumes; thus, the EV market here is developing. Thailand is also positioning itself as the regional EV leader. Certainly, the number of internal combustion engine (ICE) cars will decrease during the next seven years. Since we start marketing PHEVs in Thailand in 2016, we have definitely seen the growth. Next year we will introduce fully electric vehicles to the Thai market. However, we need the government to do more to support the infrastructure. It does not help much if there are not sufficient charging stations for customers. We consider our PHEVs to be the world’s number one because they account for about half of all our vehicles sold worldwide. What are the key challenges faced by EV manufacturers that could result in the hesitation among potential buyers? How will Mercedes-Benz overcome these challenges? One of the challenges is charging time, which
