From the 19th to the 22nd of July, the SMMR team participated in the Future Mobility Asia Exhibition & Summit. An event to showcase electric mobility concepts, solutions and innovations. The event was organised under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Energy Thailand and served as an opportunity for ASEAN policymakers to meet with the entire value chain of the electric mobility sector. The event brought together over 6,000 participants, including ‘future mobility’ companies like ONiON from MVL and MUVMI from Urban Mobility Tech Co. Ltd. , battery and infrastructure providers with TotalEnergies and KILATS GROUP, OEMs, and policymakers. The gathering brought rise to new insights for the SMMR delegation to implement LEV solutions in their regions. It was the first edition of Future Mobility Asia, and SMMR plans to return next year to strengthen its Light Electric Vehicle Thematic Network even more.
The SMMR team was accompanied by delegations from the ‘Ministry of Public Works and Transport’ of Cambodia and Lao PDR, as well as from Nong Khai province in Thailand. Mr Bounyavath Nilaxay (Deputy Director of MPWT Lao PDR) addressed in his keynote speech the current initiatives carried out by the government of Lao PDR to enable an increase in EV adoption. Similarly, Mr Yutthavon KAK (Deputy Chief of MPWT Cambodia) presented the Cambodian EV roadmap and the challenges and opportunities in the Cambodian EV sector.
On the 22nd of July, Sovan Sieng, technical advisor to the SMMR team, participated in the Future Mobility Asia Exhibition & Summit. On the innovation stage, he spoke about:
- The Light Electric Vehicles available in ASEAN and their benefits in cities’ transport systems.
- How Light Electric Vehicles fit in SMMR focus regions as a sustainable solution for first and last-mile connectivity and para-transit.
- A case study (featuring eCab, a Texan micro-transit pioneer) on several business models to operate a fleet of light electric vehicles.
On the 21st of July, the SMMR team used the event as an opportunity to host the Lao-Thai cross-border cable car project working group meeting in view of launching a CDIA Project Preparation Study on this strategic sustainable transport infrastructure. CDIA – Cities Development Initiative for Asia is a multi-donor trust fund that works with middle-sized cities in Asia and the Pacific to prepare for bankable and sustainable infrastructure investments. Since 2021, the transport authorities of Nong Khai, Thailand and Vientiane Capital of Lao PDR have been working with SMMR and CDIA to prepare a PPP for this unprecedented cross-border project. This was the first in-person meeting for the Cross-border cable car project working group since 2019.
For this first edition of the Future Mobility Asia event, many thanks to the event organisers (Henry Chua Chelsea Hoang Anh Le) for welcoming SMMR as a supporting organisation.
We very much look forward to seeing you next year.