51 electric motorbike taxis go for a test run, project by Electricity Generating Authority

Thailand’s future in transportation looks electric. Motorbikes that run off a three-kilowatt battery are being tested with hopes that the electric bikes will be used as taxis in the future.

Off a single charge, each bike can go around 100 kilometres. The bikes can reach a speed of 80 kilometres per hour and hold 150 kilograms. Each electronic motorbike costs 84,000, plus 40,000 baht for the battery.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand tested 51 electronic motorbike taxis, which cost a total of 21 million baht, on Monday at nine locations near its headquarters in Nonthaburi, right outside Bangkok.

Officials are studying energy consumption, the behaviours of drivers and passengers, and the impact the rollout of the electronic vehicles will have on the economy and environment. The tests will continue for the next year in collaboration with King Mongkut Institute of Technology North Bangkok, according to the authority’s governor Boonyanit Wongrukmit.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post