EVme Plus under Arun Plus Co., Ltd. (ARUN PLUS) is another company of PTT Group that was established to drive and develop the EV ecosystem in Thailand to be more complete and to build confidence among consumers in using this alternative energy, which will lead to the widespread use of clean energy in the country’s transportation system in the future.
These days, electric cars are no longer a new thing. They are increasingly seen on the road because burning fossil fuels in cars that use conventional gasoline creates carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases that covers the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise. It is also one of the causes of the PM 2.5 problem, which most Thais have only recently become aware of its seriousness in the past few years.
Many governments and organizations around the world are therefore accelerating the transition to a clean energy era, especially transportation, which must change to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly model, and “electric vehicles” are an important solution. However, many consumers are still concerned about various convenience systems and driving methods that are different from traditional gasoline-powered cars, causing many people not to be ready to change.
EVme Plus was therefore created to build confidence by providing a rental service for a variety of electric vehicles that consumers can try out to answer all concerns, and also has a vision to create a strong and growing electric vehicle ecosystem in Thailand and ASEAN. The Practical invites you to talk with Mr. Tom-Suwicha Sudjai, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of EV me Plus Company Limited in the PTT Group, about the vision and strategy that will drive the transition to the era of electric vehicles to become a reality very soon.
Build a strong ecosystem
Mr. Tom said that EVme Plus was born from PTT’s vision to move towards clean energy, which will be the energy of the future because it is both sustainable and more environmentally friendly than traditional energy such as fossil fuels.
“Our world is in a transitional phase, so it is important that we build a clean energy ecosystem with lower greenhouse gas emissions, with one of the largest applications being on the road. However, traditional internal combustion vehicles have dominated the market for decades, so getting consumers to switch to electric-powered vehicles (EVs) is a big challenge.”
EVme Plus was established to develop the use of electric vehicles in Thailand to be more complete. It aims to drive the entire system, from vehicle production, battery production, to service and confidence building, in order to drive the demand for electric vehicles among consumers to increase.
Mr. Tom explained that today, Thailand is the number one car producer in ASEAN, with a production capacity of two million cars per year, with one million sold domestically per year. However, almost all of the production base is for conventional gasoline-powered cars. Therefore, the government has announced a policy to promote the growth of electric cars in Thailand. In the future, 30% of all production must be electric cars, as well as 50% of sales must be electric cars.
A companion for EV users
“I think that if we are going to try to change the production base to electric cars, the consumer demand for electric cars must increase to that point as well. Our team has explored and analyzed what are the obstacles that prevent people from switching to electric cars. The answer is a variety of concerns, such as: Is it difficult to drive an electric car? Are there enough charging stations? So we want consumers to really try using an electric car.”
Tom’s team built EVme, a one-stop EV service platform, to turn concerns into confidence, showing consumers that the EV ecosystem is really growing.
“Our app makes EVs more accessible to people. You can rent a car and test drive it on the road. There are many models to choose from, depending on your interests. You can try out charging stations and other facilities to answer the question for yourself: is EV driving harder than a petrol car?”
“In addition to car rentals, our application also provides information that will make consumers’ EV lifestyles more convenient. For example, when it comes to charging stations, we partner with many parties, from small charging points to large charging stations, both PTT and others, both inside and outside gas stations. All points are listed in the application.”
Mr. Tom said that EVme is a partner who will be a consultant for everyone about electric cars. It will be a multi-brand platform that provides neutral information about various car brands. From renting to test driving, if you like it and want to own it, this application will help you buy your own electric car at a special price that suits you.
Driving multidimensional sustainability
Before becoming the leader of Thailand’s electric vehicle ecosystem, Tom had extensive experience in the global technology industry, as well as financial technology or fintech.
“I see each line of work that I have been in as being related to sustainability in different dimensions, which is something that I have been eager to do since entering the working world. I am interested in the world of technology that leads to sustainability and want to make it easier for the general public to access new innovations, just like EVme’s mission to make it easier for people to access electric vehicle innovations.
“Electric vehicles, including other types of electric vehicles, not only change people’s energy usage patterns to be more environmentally friendly, but this change will also improve people’s quality of life. When the number of internal combustion vehicles gradually decreases, the air pollution that used to be there will also be reduced.” Although it started with a small team and worked like a startup, with the team’s determination and support from the parent company, PTT, EVme Plus has grown rapidly, steadily, and has received much attention as it is the only fully integrated cutting-edge electric vehicle service platform in Thailand.
All changes are interconnected.
“Today, we have been established for about a year and have 350 electric vehicles in the system. Our leased cars have driven more than 4 million kilometers on the road, which is equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorption by 40,000 trees.”
Mr. Tom explained that one electric car reduces carbon dioxide equivalent to the absorption of 240 trees. So imagine if in the future all tens of millions of cars in our country were to be electric cars, that would be equivalent to 2.4 billion trees. How much better would air quality and people’s quality of life be?
Mr. Tom concluded that the core that all our team members are aware of all the time is that all changes are connected and add to the big picture. What is driving is not just about electric cars, but they are driving people’s lives to be better, leading to the sustainability of Thailand and ASEAN.
We adapt, the world changes. The Next Generation: Transforming the energy world with EV vehicles.
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