Thai Automotive Institute boosts EV industry with new test track

The Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI) is set to boost Thailand’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, constructing a test track to provide manufacturers with a range of testing services, subsequently becoming a new revenue stream for the country.

This track, under construction in Chachoengsao, is designed to facilitate a broad spectrum of tests including braking and parking brake performance, speed, distance and battery efficiency, as well as a skid pad. Kriengsak Wongpromrat, the president of TAI, an agency operating under the Industry Ministry, anticipates this facility will generate 1 billion baht annually.

EV manufacturers are expected to save between 30-50% on testing costs using this facility, as opposed to testing overseas. Wongpromrat believes this will contribute significantly to the economy and support the government’s ambition of establishing Thailand as a regional EV hub.

By 2030, the government plans for battery EVs to account for 30% of total car manufacturing. This includes the production of 725,000 zero-emission cars, 675,000 electric motorcycles and 34,000 electric buses and trucks.

The test track, part of the Automotive and Tyre Testing, Research and Innovation Center (ATTRIC) in the Sanam Chai Khet district, is currently 60% complete. This has allowed TAI to start offering some services to manufacturers, with over 10 car companies already utilising them. Wongpromrat added that further services, such as the speed test, are still in development.

The second phase of the ATTRIC development, the test track is projected to be completed and officially open in 2026. The construction of ATTRIC, spanning over 1,200 rai, was approved by the cabinet under a 3.6 billion baht budget in 2016.

Of this budget, 2.03 billion baht has already been used in the construction of the main facilities, with the rest allocated for the second phase of the project.

The TAI has plans to collaborate with academic experts for the long-term development of the test track. ATTRIC’s location in Chachoengsao places it within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), an area destined to become Thailand’s high-tech industrial hub.

Along with Chon Buri and Rayong, these regions make up the EEC zone, set to host 12 targeted S-curve industries, including the production of new-generation cars, reported Bangkok Post.