Motorcycle giant interested in project to convert 400,000 two-wheelers in HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) is finalizing a project to convert 400,000 two-wheelers from gasoline to electric for technology drivers and delivery drivers. Many large enterprises in the vehicle manufacturing sector are interested in the project.

Speaking to VietNamNet reporters on the sidelines of the Ho Chi Minh City socio-economic press conference on the afternoon of July 24, Mr. Le Thanh Hai, Director of the Center for Economic Application Consulting (HIDS), said that during the implementation of the "Project to Convert Two-Wheel Vehicles from Gasoline to Electric for Technology Drivers and Delivery Drivers in Ho Chi Minh City", Honda Vietnam Company contacted and met with the center.

Specifically, Honda wants to know about the vehicle conversion roadmap in Ho Chi Minh City for reference and to make decisions related to the production of two-wheeled vehicles in the future.

According to Mr. Hai, Honda has made a move to bring electric cars to the market by leasing them to customers for 1.47 million VND/month. Customers who rent for many months will receive a discount.

“The ultimate goal is to sell cars, but right now the company wants customers to experience and evaluate electric vehicles before mass production. Currently, Honda has the largest sales of gasoline two-wheelers in the Vietnamese market and VinFast is their big competitor,” said Mr. Hai.

Another foreign company that is very successful with its two-wheeler battery swapping station model in Taiwan (China) also wants to enter the market. This company also wants to set up a factory in Vietnam.

Mr. Le Thanh Hai, Director of the Center for Economic Application Consulting (HIDS) at the press conference on the afternoon of July 24. Photo: Tran Chung

The draft project to convert 400,000 two-wheeled vehicles from gasoline to electric vehicles for the technology and delivery drivers team proposed by HIDS includes 4 phases, implemented from January 2026. From 2029, HIDS proposed that Ho Chi Minh City completely ban two-wheeled gasoline vehicles of technology drivers in the entire city after the merger.

According to HIDS, each technology driver in Ho Chi Minh City travels an average of 80-120 km per day, 3-4 times more than the average citizen. That means, converting a technology driver’s gasoline-powered motorbike to an electric motorbike has a much greater impact on reducing emissions than other personal two-wheeled vehicles.

Therefore, this is the first group to be deployed for conversion in the vehicle electrification plan in Ho Chi Minh City.

Plan to cover thousands of electric vehicle charging stations in Ho Chi Minh City, worry about upgrading the power grid In addition to the cost of converting vehicles from gasoline to electric vehicles, charging points and charging time are also the biggest barriers for technology drivers. Professional agencies have thought of a solution.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ong-lon-xe-may-quan-tam-toi-de-an-chuyen-doi-400-000-xe-hai-banh-tai-tphcm-2425482.html