VIENTIANE, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has planned to increase the use of electric vehicles nationwide to 1 percent of the total number of vehicles by 2025 and over 30 percent in 2030 for the decarbonization of the transport sector.
The ambitious targets were reported at a national workshop on transitioning to electric vehicles held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Friday.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport Lan Seng-Aphone, and attended by representatives of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), development partners, the Lao Automotive Industry Association, public works and transport officials, and other interested parties.
The meeting was held for participants from government bodies and the private sector in Laos, as well as national and international experts, to share their ideas on the potential and challenges to achieving the comprehensive integrated strategy, policy and roadmap on transitioning to electric mobility.
"We would like to hear about the experiences of international groups and the private sector in the use of electric vehicles, so that we may use these as references when devising importing and sales policies for Laos," local daily Vientiane Times on Thursday quoted Lan as saying at the meeting.
"Input from all participants will help the transition to the use of electric vehicles, which will be beneficial in cutting petrol imports and reducing pollution, as well as using a source of energy that we can produce ourselves," the deputy minister noted.
"More than 95 percent of electricity is generated by hydropower stations in Laos and Laos plans to increase hydropower generation capacity to 13GW by 2030," UNESCAP representative Madan B. Regmi, said in the meeting.
"This high share of renewable electricity gives Laos strong potential to deploy electric mobility and support decarbonization of the transport sector," he added.
