More Lao people embrace electric vehicles amid fuel price hikes

Due to multiple hikes in fuel prices, people in Laos have embraced electric vehicles (EVs) to save money on fuels and reduce air pollution.

As of April 2023, a total of 3,895 electrically powered vehicles had been imported into Laos, of which 1,773 were motorbikes, according to a report released by the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines.

The report stated that EVs helped the Lao government save expenditure on 300,000 liters of fuel.

Khanthaly, a vendor who sells food at a night market in the Lao capital Vientiane, told Xinhua, "I go to a market every day to buy ingredients. So, I decided to buy an electric motorbike at the beginning of this year to reduce the cost of fuel in my family."

"I believe that everyone is struggling as living costs continue to rise amid high inflation. My family and I are trying our best to survive in this situation, and I think an electric motorbike can help us save more money," said Khanthaly.

Over the past two months, the Lao government has increased the fuel price several times, which has driven up consumer goods prices at local markets.

The rising fuel price has triggered a corresponding increase in several categories, notably food and transport, according to a report released by the Lao Statistics Bureau.

"I ride my bike to work every day, and I have to pay almost a third of my income in fuel costs monthly. Now I am planning to buy myself an electric motorbike," Soukmany, an employee at a local grocery store in Vientiane province, told Xinhua, hoping that the electric motorbike would help reduce her bills.

Laos plans to increase the number of EVs to about 1 percent of total vehicles by 2025, including motorcycles, buses and cars, and to install at least 50 charging stations.

The Lao government promotes EVs to advance clean energy use in transportation, aiming for an action plan by 2025, a strategy by 2030, and a vision by 2050.

The adoption of EVs also aims to minimize fuel imports and reduce harmful emissions, as well as fulfill the national agenda for addressing the Southeast Asian country's economic and financial difficulties.