PHNOM PENH, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had registered a total of 10,363 electric cars or electric vehicles (EVs) from 2021 to February 2026, Ministry of Public Works and Transport Spokesperson Phan Rim said on Friday.
In addition, the Southeast Asian country has also recorded 3,449 electric motorcycles and 722 electric three-wheelers, he added.
Phan Rim said that during the January-February period this year, the kingdom registered 1,298 EVs, 246 electric motorcycles and 22 electric three-wheelers.
The most popular EV brands in the kingdom are BYD, GAC and Toyota, he said, adding that using EVs saves on fuel costs and is environmentally friendly as EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions.
"As fuel prices have skyrocketed globally due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, more and more people have switched to using EVs," he told Xinhua.
Since the onset of the Middle East conflict, the prices of regular gasoline and diesel in Cambodia have risen by 41.5 percent and 84 percent, respectively, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
A liter of retail regular gasoline costs 5,450 riels (about 1.35 U.S. dollars) and diesel goes for 7,100 riels on Friday, the Ministry of Commerce said.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, said rising fuel prices have acted as a key catalyst for consumers to switch to EVs.
"As fuel costs have climbed, more consumers have become interested in EVs because their operating costs are much lower than those of a gasoline or diesel-powered car," he told Xinhua.
According to Phan Rim, Cambodia aims to increase the number of electric cars to 30,000 by 2030. ■
