In recent days, residential groups at HH Linh Dam apartment complex (Hoang Liet ward, Hanoi) have been discussing and voting enthusiastically about the announcement of a complete ban on parking electric vehicles in the building's apartment buildings from February 1, 2026.
Faced with the risk of being refused to accept electric vehicle parements, residents of HH Linh Dam apartment building expressed their frustration, saying that the Management Board's refusal to accept electric vehicle parements in the basement from 2026 is contrary to the city's policy on encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (living in HH Linh Dam apartment building, character name has been changed) said that according to the roadmap, Hanoi will ban gasoline motorbikes by the hour/time or area in some wards in Ring Road 1 from July 1, 2026.
Many families have recently converted gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles to anticipate the city's policy.
"Last month, my family decided to sell a gasoline motorbike and buy an electric motorbike for 20 million VND to travel, contributing to environmental protection" - Ms. Ngoc said.
According to residents of HH Linh Dam apartment building, currently, the apartment buildings' tunnels still have a lot of space for electric vehicles. The Management Board has separated the storage locations for gasoline and electric vehicles in the basement to prevent the risk of fire and explosion. Regarding charging, additional sockets have been invested in, and safety wires have been installed...
Therefore, according to Ms. Ngoc, the Management Board's reason for banning electric vehicles is that the tunnel space is overloaded, posing many potential safety risks.
"In case of stopping receiving electric vehicle parking in the basement, the Management Board must arrange a suitable place, not affecting or disrupting the lives of residents" - Ms. Ngoc shared.
When the issue of banning electric vehicles in the HH Linh Dam apartment complex was controversial, on December 4, another apartment building in Long Bien ward announced that it would temporarily stop receiving and depositing additional types of electric vehicles from December 20.
The reason given is that the capacity of electric vehicle manufacturers is overloaded; there is a potential risk of fire safety and fighting during parking and charging electric vehicles.
Expressing his opinion to Lao Dong Newspaper on the incident, Mr. Hoang Hai, Chairman of Long Bien Ward People's Committee, said: "If the investor does not allow residents to park electric vehicles in the apartment building, there must be a plan to arrange other areas and locations for people to park electric vehicles. Ensuring fire safety is a top priority, but ensuring the rights of the people must also be a priority".
Vice Chairman of Hoang Liet Ward People's Committee Ta Viet Dung emphasized that the 2023 Housing Law clearly stipulates the parking area of the apartment building, including cars and motorbikes (regardless of gasoline or electric) and the arrangement of parking space/charging of electric vehicles must be designed according to standards.
Not to mention, recently, the Hanoi People's Council issued a Resolution regulating the implementation of low emission zones in the area. According to the Resolution, the city encourages the use of vehicles using clean energy, green energy, and environmentally friendly.
Mr. Dung said that the current Fire Prevention and Fighting Law does not stipulate the prohibition/restriction of parking electric vehicles and charging electric vehicles in apartments.
In fact, there are no official conclusions or scientific research works confirming that electric vehicles have a high risk of fire and explosion and are unsafe vehicles for fire and explosion. Electric vehicles are a common trend worldwide, the use of electric vehicles has many advantages over gasoline vehicles.
To ensure safety, Mr. Dung said that apartment management boards, especially those built many years ago, must propose solutions: arrange separate charging areas, ensure safety, fire fighting equipment, supervision inspection, and cannot unilaterally ban electric vehicles from being parked in apartment buildings.
Even in cases of lack of infrastructure, if the authorities do not allow parking of electric vehicles in the basement, the Apartment Management Board will still carry out procedures in accordance with the provisions of the Housing Law, through the Apartment Conference.
Therefore, the People's Committee of Hoang Liet Ward has requested the HH Linh Dam Apartment Management Board not to refuse to keep electric vehicles according to the provisions of the Housing Law 2023 (except in cases where there is an official request from the competent authority).
The ward also requested the apartment management unit to increase patrols, promptly detect and handle situations and incidents arising during vehicle storage in the basement of the HH apartment complex; regularly inspect and maintain the system, fire prevention, fire fighting, rescue equipment to ensure stable operation and correct design functions when an incident occurs.
