Low-Emissions, High Mobility: EVs in Southeast Asia’ s Public Transport
WORDS BY ANTONINA JOSON
In the tropics of Southeast Asia, public transport is approached differently. Busy buses and motorcycles keep these hot cities bustling with motion, despite the warm temperature.
Climate change is a pervasive problem evident worldwide, with its harrowing effects on weather felt most in tropical countries. Majority of Southeast Asia sits right on the equator, exposed to the sun’ s harsh rays and at the mercy of monsoons and storm surges. Thick smog blankets urban areas in the region— most notably, Hanoi in Vietnam, which IQAir dubbed“ the world’ s most polluted city.”
In the region, net-zero emissions are a key goal for nearly all its member-states. With air pollution largely driven by the region’ s automotive sector, Southeast Asia’ s governments focus on encouraging their citizens to use electric vehicles( EVs) by providing fiscal incentives and structural support. Another effort often overlooked is the transition of Southeast Asia’ s public transport vehicles into EVs.
SINGAPORE
At the moment, Singapore is leading the charge in the region. The small island nation’ s top-selling auto brand of the year was BYD, a leading EV maker from China. In terms of public transportation, the city-state is also making great strides to fully electrify. Last March 2025, the country’ s Land Transport Authority( LTA)
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