Sixty-three charging stations for plug-in hybrids being installed by Mercedez-Benz at leading Thai h
A total of 63 charging stations for plug-in hybrid vehicles are being set up at hotels around the country belonging to the Marriot International, Minor Hotels and Hilton chains.
Installation is being carried out by Mercedes-Benz Thailand (MBT), which said that the charging stations would serve both hotel fleet vehicles as well as hotel guests.
The Thai market for electric vehicles is on an upward trend, Michael Grewe, president and chief executive officer, said on Monday.
“Three major factors that contribute to robust growth of the market are supportive policies from the Thai government, including excise tax privileges and investment incentives offered to carmakers; product offerings that agree with Thailand’s market conditions and lifestyles of the people, and the strong supply chain of the Thai automotive industry; and most importantly, the expanding network of charging stations, which assures prospective users of electric vehicles that access to the infrastructure is conveniently available through their journeys,” he explained.
Frank Steinacher, vice president of sales and marketing, added that 40 per cent of Mercedes-Benz cars sold in Thailand were now plug-ins.
“By building an extensive network of charging stations, we can meet the demands of customers based on their lifestyle and behavioural changes towards electric driving. The customers will, for instance, expect a greater variety of convenient charging points in addition to charging in their home garage, at Mercedes-Benz authorised dealers, or shopping centres,” he said.
The expansion will result in the provision of around 200 electric-vehicle charging stations from Mercedes-Benz, including at 32 authorised dealers nationwide and leading hotels and shopping centres, the vice president said.
