Japan's Nissan Motor Thailand has appointed SET-listed Delta Electronics Thailand to provide electric vehicle (EV) charging wall boxes for customers buying its Leaf model.
The second generation of Leaf EV for the Thai market is imported from Japan with a price tag of 1.9 million baht, subject to a 20% import duty. Nissan started delivery to customers in early May after introducing the model in late 2018.
Buyers of the Leaf will have to pay for the charging wall boxes. The Delta AC (alternating current) EV charger is 7.36 kilowatts (kW) and will be installed at their residences or workplaces at a price of 45,000 baht.
Public charging stations will be serviced by Delta DC (direct current) Quick EV Chargers at 50kW.
The Leaf has 40kW-hour batteries with a driving range of 311 kilometres per charge. They have a charging type of CHAdeMO, Japan's trade name for the quick-charging method for battery EVs.
Ramesh Narasimhan, the newly appointed president of Nissan, said Delta can provide international standard charging facilities for Thai motorists.
Nissan is also making the Delta AC and DC EV Chargers available at 32 selected showrooms nationwide. Delta will also provide on-site survey, installation and after-sales services.
Mr Narasimhan said Nissan plans to expand EV chargers to other public spaces in the next three years.
Last August, Nissan teamed up with Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) to install quick-charging outlets in households and study know-how from MEA in developing a wall box charger for battery EVs.
Nissan Leaf has accumulated sales of 400,000 cars worldwide.
"Nissan expects demand for the Leaf, but it is too early to target how many cars will be sold. The company found the most back-orders for the Leaf are in provincial areas," he said.
Mr Narasimhan said Thailand provides an opportunity for Nissan EVs thanks to the government policy to support and promote them, with a goal of 1.2 million electrified cars on roads by 2036.
As of 2018, Thailand had roughly 80,000 EVs on the roads, mainly hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.
Nissan won Board of Investment (BoI) privileges last July to invest 10.96 billion baht to produce a hybrid version using its e-Power technology.
In January, Nissan was granted BoI incentives for a project worth 470 million baht for assembly of batteries for e-Power cars.
Nissan also applied for the BoI's incentives for battery EVs.
Hsieh Shen-yen, Delta's president, said the company will leverage its core competencies in power conversion and management to develop and install the EV charging boxes.
Nissan is the first car company to collaborate with Delta for the EV chargers, said Mr Hsieh.
"Delta is in talks with other car companies to provide EV charging solutions for EV motorists," he said.
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