Vietnam aims to bring net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, and that all means of transport will use green energy, reports the state news agency (VNA). For the country, green transportation must develop alongside green and smart cities, the VNA quoted experts as saying.
The transport sector aims to gradually limit and stop the production, assembly and import of cars and motorbikes using fossil fuels by 2040.
By 2050, all motor vehicles will use electricity and green energy.
Electric vehicles are considered the transportation industry’s future as people in big cities increasingly favour these units. Ministry of Transport statistics show that more than 20,000 electric cars were used nationwide last year.
But there is a long way to go for the country even to catch up with nations in Europe and other parts of the world but the country has made international waves with the launch of its VinFast EV, which has even gone on sale in the USA.
Observers say charging stations on the roads are not enough to meet the needs of electric vehicles. The largest charging station system is thanks to EV maker VinFast, with more than 150,000 ports for both motorbikes and cars. It is located in parking lots, bus stations, shopping centers, and gas stations. Besides these stations, people mainly charge their vehicles at home.
At a workshop on promoting energy transition and building policies to invest in charging stations in Vietnam organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Prof. Dr. Wilmar Matinez, UNDP electric energy research expert, said that in Vietnam the concept of electric cars remains new.
The number of vehicles using green energy is still low compared to those using fossil fuels. This is also why electric charging stations on roads, especially highways, are less common than in other countries.
He believed the need for charging stations was one of the main reasons consumers hesitate to buy and use electric vehicles. The road traffic infrastructure development plan targets that by 2050, Vietnam will build more than 9,000 km of highways, nearly eight times more than the current number.
To Nam Toan, head of the Department of Environmental Science, Technology and International Cooperation under the Department for Roads of Vietnam, said that the Ministry of Transport is updating the highway network planning and would likely increase planned charging stations according to the request of localities.
Each highway is designed to have rest stops and, experts said, these would be suitable places to place charging stations for electric vehicles.
Wilmar Matinez said that with current electric technology, the battery usually allows the vehicle to travel about 180-300km per charge.
People who want to travel long distances need numerous charging stations to charge their vehicles while taking a break before continuing. If the country cannot solve the problem of charging stations, it won’t be easy to achieve the goal of completely replacing gas and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles in the future. Therefore, the need for charging stations in Vietnam is very high.
Through practical research on developing electric vehicle charging stations in Thailand, Germany, Norway and the Republic of Korea, Wilmar said that building a network of charging stations requires strong Government and private sector engagement.
