HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam plans to subsidize electricity prices for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, part of efforts to promote the use of electric vehicles and meet energy transition commitments.
The subsidy scheme must be submitted to the central government for approval by mid-September, the government said in a statement last weekend.
The Southeast Asian country, home to electric car maker VinFast, aims to be carbon neutral by 2050, in line with commitments made by advanced economies.
The country currently has just over 150,000 electric vehicle charging stations, most of which are owned and operated by VinFast.
“The transition to green energy is an essential and important task in the process of realizing green development goals and fulfilling Vietnam’s international obligations,” the government said in the statement.
The government will also work on incentive measures for the production and import of electric cars and on encouraging motorists to switch from combustion engine cars to electric cars, the statement said.
The statement said Vietnam will ensure that all urban areas have public charging systems for electric vehicles. It also said that a uniform set of technical standards for these stations should be issued by the end of this month.
The country has previously implemented policies to waive registration fees and reduce special consumption tax for new electric cars.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Varun HK)
