BANGKOK, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Thai government and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Thursday jointly launched a pilot project for electric motorcycle taxis in Thailand.
Some 50 electric motorcycles donated by Chinese company TAILG will be used as green motorcycle taxis in a collaborative research project and as demonstration cases.
Thailand's National Energy Technology Center (ENTEC) and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) signed a memorandum of agreement with TAILG to promote motorcycle electrification in the Southeast Asian country.
ENTEC director Sumittra Charojrochkul expressed her gratitude to TAILG' support to the UN e-mobility project and Thailand's shift from fuel-based mobility to electric mobility.
TAILG has been a partner of UNEP's e-mobility project since 2018. The project plans to conduct pilots in six countries, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, to integrate two- and three-wheeler electric vehicles into their existing transport systems.
With the efforts of public and private sectors, Thailand is expected to significantly improve energy efficiency in urban transportation, said Mushtaq Memon, regional coordinator for resource efficiency at the UNEP Asia Pacific office.
According to TAILG's president Yao Li, the company will establish a technical center and manufacturing base in Thailand to advance the use of electric motorcycles in Southeast Asia and help the region achieve low-carbon road traffic. ■