Abstract:

As the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) seeks to diversify and strengthen its energy mix beyond existing hydropower and fossil fuels, EV deployment offers a promising pathway to reduce petroleum reliance. The Lao PDR is implementing EV goals contained within its forthcoming Clean Energy Transportation Strategy. EVs are being imported for personal use (cars and motorbikes) and commercial use (“tuktuks”). To support this growing demand, NREL and USAID are working with the Lao PDR Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) to develop EV charging infrastructure and support private companies that are beginning to explore business models. NREL conducted a series of trainings to support MEM decision-making on key technical topics