Charging station explosion due to actual demand
According to Lao Dong, in many residential areas, small alleys or parking lots in Ho Chi Minh City, it is not difficult to encounter spontaneous electric vehicle charging stations. A long socket, a few chargers are placed close to the wall, this is the way many people, coffee shop or parking lot owners take advantage of the premises to serve the growing needs of motorbike and electric car users.
The price for each charge ranges from 8,000-20,000 VND, accompanied by popular food services such as 5,000 VND instant noodles or 15,000-20,000 VND soft drinks.
Sitting at a coffee shop on Pham Van Dong Street, Mr. Le Van Hoai (a technology motorbike driver) said that he often has to find a charging place every day.
"I run from morning to noon with less than 30% battery. If you can't find a charging place, it's considered an early break in the afternoon. This restaurant has a charger and sleepers, food, drinks, costing about 30,000-40,000 VND/trip, so drivers often stop by" - Mr. Hoai said.
Notably, most spontaneous charging stations use civil sockets, do not have protective equipment, do not control power flow or capacity, and have not been safety tested.
However, there are still some places that invest in installing small electrical cabinets mounted close to the wall, fully integrated charging devices and wires inside, designed to be closed, completely isolated from users to ensure safety during the charging process. At the same time, these points are also equipped with additional fire prevention and fighting equipment to limit the risk of electrical incidents.
Recently, on roads and parks in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City, additional charging stations have been installed, allowing vehicles to conveniently stop and charge the battery on the spot when needed, contributing to the gradual completion of the infrastructure system for electricity transportation.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Hoang (Thu Duc Ward) shared: "Previously, I had to calculate the percentage of batteries to charge at home or visit charging stations, but now when passing through some parks, I can still stop to charge right away. If the city installs more in residential areas, it would be good, because not every street has a charging place."
Incentives for investing in electric motorbike charging stations
The Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) has submitted to the City People's Committee a project "Converting two-wheeled vehicles from gasoline to electric for technology drivers and delivery", with a scale of about 400,000 vehicles in the area. The project proposes a specific roadmap and financial support solutions to help drivers change vehicles, while proposing to develop a network of charging stations across the city.
Mr. Le Thanh Hai - Director of the Economic Application Consulting Center, HIDS said: "According to initial assessments, the pressure on energy infrastructure due to two-wheeled electric vehicles is not large. Manufacturers share that users can also fully charge at home. However, further when converting all 400,000 gasoline car drivers, combined with the development speed of individual electric cars, the issue of electricity output must be considered and calculated right now, so that there will be no confusion at that time".
At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City plans to invest in building charging stations, rest stops and backup charging systems at strategic locations, prioritizing the use of renewable energy sources. Enterprises participating in investing in this infrastructure will have access to preferential loan policies to speed up the implementation process.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoa - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA) also proposed to include items such as charging stations and green infrastructure in the interest rate incentive list.
"The current problem is charging stations, it is very difficult to go very far to have a charging station, even queuing for 4-5 hours to wait. I think it is necessary to encourage the business community to participate in investing in charging stations. It is necessary to have an interest rate support policy for businesses participating in investing in this field to accelerate the green transformation process" - Mr. Hoa said.
