PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia registered 604 new electric vehicles (EVs) in 2023, bringing the total number to 1,335 in the Southeast Asian country, said a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport on Friday.
EVs have gained momentum in Cambodia in recent years, the report said, adding that the kingdom logged only five EVs in 2020 and the number of new EV registrations was 63 in 2021 and up to 663 in 2022.
Currently, EV charging stations are available at 18 locations in the country, according to the report.
The Cambodian government has been encouraging people to use EVs and electric motorcycles, as they are environment-friendly and save money.
Moeurng Sokmeng, a sales supervisor at the Mingyang Guoji Co., Ltd., which is the sole agent of China's Hongqi brand in Cambodia, said consumers' interest has significantly increased as people are more aware of the advantages of EVs.
"Currently, we have sold out a lot of EVs, both small-scale and large-scale EVs, and our EVs have received considerable support from consumers," she told Xinhua.
Udom Pisey, an EV manager at the Car4you Co., Ltd., which imports Letin Mengo EVs from China, said EVs have far fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel vehicles, so their maintenance and repair cost is also lower than internal combustion engine vehicles.
"Using electric cars saves money, as they are easy to charge and environment-friendly," she told Xinhua.
Cambodia is committed to having 40 percent of EV cars and 70 percent of electric motorbikes by 2050 in order to reduce carbon emissions, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
To achieve this goal, the government has reduced import duties on EVs since 2021 to about 50 percent lower than taxes on traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. ■
