Thailand may be unprepared to fully embrace electric trucks despite the growing popularity of battery-powered commercial vehicles, says UD Trucks (Thailand), a subsidiary of Japan's UD Trucks Corporation.The company has expressed interest in applying electric mobility technology to its fleet, but acknowledged that several challenges remain.
Wilawan Vispapaew, managing director of UD Trucks (Thailand), said the country's long-haul logistics sector continues to rely heavily on diesel-powered freight.
Government fuel price subsidies, which cap pump prices to stabilise operating costs, further reinforce diesel's dominance.
"Battery electric vehicle technology represents the future, and we will conduct a feasibility study on BEV technology," she said, noting that fuel cells are also being explored as an alternative.
UD Trucks is collaborating with Japanese automaker Isuzu on a pilot project to develop next-generation, light-duty fuel cell trucks, aiming to bring them into production soon.
