News Forum - PM Prayut drives electric car with Swiss ambassador

[Thaiger]

After completing her term in Thailand, Helene Budliger Artierda, the Swiss ambassador, paid a farewell visit to Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at government house. Helene came to visit Prayut in an electric-powered red Mini Cooper, which caught the PM’s attention during their conversation. Just before the Swiss ambassador could head back to the embassy, Prayut asked about the car. He liked it so much that he asked for a quick spin around the block. It didn’t stop there, Prayut asked if he could drive the car. Once he took over the driver’s seat, Helene sat in the passenger seat. He waved […]

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[Fanta]

Prayut seems to like vehicles without engines.

[Bluesofa]

8 minutes ago, Fanta said:

Prayut seems like vehicles without engines.

Ha ha! Very good. An aircraft carrier, a submarine.
Perhaps we'll see him on a bicycle next week?

[Stefan]

Great to see that Prayut likes this EV. And good to hear that he wants Thailand to become an EV production hub. (although we have too many hubs already...) 

Follow other countries and ban combustion engines 15 years from now!

[HiuMak]

Soon he will be driving alone after the election

[TWS60]

Was just pondering why Hybrid vehicles were so slow to enter the Thailand market.  Welcome to the party, better late than never.   

Despite his short-comings, and the looming election, Prayuth's enthusiastic reaction to an EV was like he'd just seen a Unicorn.  Better late than never.   Certainly better than being a typical, grumpy old man dinosaur, sat at the bar pissing and moaning about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket, as they fiddle with LINE and Google Search on their smart phones. 

I don't, however, go along with the over zealous mantra about banning ICE in X number of years, which merely sharpens the opposition's rhetoric about liberals "ramming it down our throats!" What you want to do is draw more people into the tent, not push them away.

IMO, EV and alternative energy sourcing will continue to advance and improve to the point it will become a No-Brainer, and natural selection will take its course.  ICE will be usurped but remain as the redundant/back-up to critical infrastructure and key transport systems, and that'll be a major achievement.