Guests inspect the new JMEV GSE car at the official launch ceremony in Vientiane.

JMEV GSE car launched for sale in Laos

More foreign automobile producers and companies are joining hands with Lao entrepreneurs to sell electric vehicles in Laos after the government gave the green light for investments and development of the sector.
The government aims to reduce the import of fuel-inefficient cars against the backdrop of a global spike in energy prices and the promotion of green energy.
The launch of the new JMEV GSE electric vehicle is part of the Lao government’s promotion policy, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Daovong Phonekeo, said at the official launch ceremony for the car in Vientiane last week.
The event was attended by the CEO of JMEV, Mr Eric Liu, the President of the Thiwara Auto Co Ltd, Mr Kongsada Keomanivong, the Director of Sales for JMEV, Mr Wu Jianbo, auto entrepreneurs, partners and members of the public.   
JMEV was founded by the Jiangxi Jiangling Group Electric Vehicle Co Ltd in 2015, and Renault Co Ltd of France holds a 50 percent stake in the firm. JMEV, which has its headquarter in Nanchang, the capital of China’s Jiangxi province, holds the other 50 percent.  
JMEV is an EV OEM engaged in sales, marketing, researching and development, and it has been approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
It is one of the leading car producers in China and it will soon have a production capacity of 300,000 units a year.
In view of the growth of the business operations of the Thiwara Auto Co Ltd over the past 30 years, Jiangxi Jiangling Motors Import & Export decided to join hands with the Lao firm. It has appointed Thiwara Auto Co Ltd the dealer for selling the JMEV GSE in Laos.
Laos is fully dependent on fuel imports for socio-economic development and the transportation and communications sector, said Dr Daovong.
The government’s policy for promoting EVs is aimed at reducing fuel imports, saving money on energy purchases from oversea and maintaining reserves of foreign currencies, he said.
The number of EV users in Laos has been increasing since the country was affected by the high prices of oil and a shortage of fuel. The number of EV users is expected to increase by around 30 percent to 50 percent this year when compared to the figures of last year, Dr Daovong said.
The government plans to increase the number of EVs to about one percent of the total vehicles by 2025, including motorcycles, buses and cars, and to install at least 50 charging stations, he said.
The promotion of EVs is also part of efforts to promote the use of clean energy in the transport sector in order to translate the government’s policies into an action plan by 2025, a strategy by 2030, and a vision by 2050.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update October 27, 2022)