The Excise Department is coordinating with the Chinese Embassy to negotiate with a state enterprise in Zhejiang Province, acting as a shareholder of the NETA electric car company, to assist in clearing fines on behalf of Thailand.
Mr. Pornchai Theerawet, Director-General of the Excise Department, Ministry of Finance, said the department is currently following up and coordinating with the Chinese Embassy to help negotiate with a state enterprise in Zhejiang Province, a shareholder of NETA electric vehicles. Originally, NETA planned to invest in producing electric cars in Thailand by contracting local manufacturers, but ultimately, no production occurred in Thailand.
Meanwhile, the Thai government, through the Excise Department, has compensated NETA for importing and selling 18,000 electric vehicles in Thailand, paying 150,000 baht per vehicle under the electric vehicle support measures for cars and motorcycles. However, NETA did not comply with the agreement. The Excise Department has proceeded with legal action and imposed fines twice the amount of the damages. Currently, the detailed calculation of all fines is underway.
Regarding measures to promote electric vehicles in Thailand, the goal is to establish Thailand as a regional electric vehicle manufacturing hub and encourage Thai consumers to adopt electric cars. The promotion measures are divided into two phases: EV3.0 from 2022 to 2025, offering subsidies up to 150,000 baht per vehicle along with reductions in import and excise taxes.
The EV3.5 measures, effective from 2024 to 2027, continue the EV3.0 program by providing subsidies up to 100,000 baht per electric car and pickup truck and 10,000 baht for electric motorcycles. There are 32 companies participating in EV3.0 and 11 companies in EV3.5.
The electric vehicle market in Thailand remains vibrant, evidenced by competitive price cuts among many brands. In 2025, about 122,128 vehicles were registered, an increase of over 74% from 70,137 registrations in 2024. The trend is expected to continue growing as electric vehicles save energy and do not harm the environment.