A strategic initiative in the electric vehicle industry in Southeast Asia was launched on 19th December 2025 through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Board of Investment (BOI) and Mr. Zhang Yongwei, Vice President and Secretary-General of the New Energy Vehicle Technology Development Institute (China EV100), a think tank guiding the direction of the Chinese government's electric vehicle industry policy.

This is the first MoU that China EV100 has signed with an ASEAN country, making Thailand a partner in this cross-border collaboration.

The signing ceremony was attended by eight partner organisations, including the Excise Department, the Office of Industrial Economics, the Energy Policy and Planning Office, the Automotive Institute, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT), the Thai Automotive Industry Association and the Thai Subcontracting Promotion Association. Representatives from these organisations discussed potential areas of cooperation with China EV100.

The MoU establishes collaboration to develop Thailand's electric vehicle (EV) industrial ecosystem, with the objective of enhancing capabilities and integrating Thai businesses into the global EV supply chain. The partnership will involve knowledge exchange, sharing best practices, and supporting policy formulation to promote sustainable EV growth, ensure balanced competition and develop human resources and the broader ecosystem, including production, used battery management, charging systems, and battery swapping.

The cooperation will also include technology transfer from Chinese companies to Thai entrepreneurs, mechanisms to support China-Thailand joint ventures, and collaborative events and forums in both countries, such as the Thailand-China EV Forum within SUBCON Thailand held each May and participation in the China EV100 Forum in March.

Mr. Narut stated, "This collaboration between Thai partners and China EV100 will provide Thailand with information on policies and development methods applied within China's electric vehicle industry. It will also connect businesses from both countries, facilitating knowledge exchange and providing a platform for industry feedback. This will support the formulation of EV-related policies and measures for Thailand's automotive industry."

Mr. Zhang Yongwei noted that the collaboration has implications for the electric vehicle industries of both China and Thailand.

China EV100 will support Thailand's plans to expand its EV industry and encourages Chinese manufacturers to increase the use of Thai-made components while transferring technology to Thai manufacturers.

He indicated that the pace of technological change and China's focus on research and development make this approach feasible.

Technology transfer for production in Thailand is expected to reduce risks associated with independent overseas investment and accelerate time to market, which could increase cooperation between businesses from both countries.

Future developments in the automotive industry are expected to focus on intelligent vehicle systems, providing opportunities for Thai businesses in electronics and software development to contribute to technological development.

As of October 2025, the BOI had promoted a total of THB 140 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) in investments in the electric vehicle industry and related businesses.

This includes 21 BEV (battery electric vehicle) manufacturing projects with a total investment of THB 40,449 million; 54 battery manufacturing projects with a total investment of THB 79,473 million; 45 projects manufacturing other key components, including traction motors, BMS DCUs, inverters and on-board chargers, with a total investment of THB 10,002 million; and 32 electric vehicle charging station and battery swapping station projects with a total investment of THB 6,066 million.