In addition to buses, coaches should also switch to electric cars

Electric cars both protect the environment and bring a new look to public passenger transport in the future.

VinFast electric bus during test run Not only buses, coaches should also be encouraged to use trams Air pollution and fine dust threaten people’s quality of life. Every year, Vietnam has to pay a large amount of money, about 8-10 billion USD to import gasoline. Part of this is spent on operating traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles. In addition to the proposed inner-city electric buses for application in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In Ho Chi Minh City, it is thought that the government should consider the early policy of putting electric-powered intercity passenger cars into operation in order to both exploit the superiority of electric vehicle technology, while protecting the environment and bringing a a new look for public passenger transport in the new era. The world’s two major problems, which are environmental pollution due to emissions and energy security due to the finiteness of fossil energy sources (coal, oil, gas) have gradually become urgent. Air pollution, fine dust in Vietnam has become serious with big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, etc. Ho Chi Minh. Here, it is recorded that there are maximum number of days in a year with the most dramatic air quality index – the most polluted air in the world. In the past two years, authorities at all levels have met to discuss and direct long-term radical solutions to further strengthen the control of air pollution, including the control of carbon emissions and fine dust from the air. means of transport. And fossil energy sources are not available in all countries. Vietnam is one of the importing countries, still heavily dependent on the world’s oil (although it is also partly domestic), it is estimated that it still has to import about 8-10 billion USD per year. With zero emissions and using electricity instead of petrol, electric vehicles are said to be a breakthrough solution for Vietnam in the context of the need to strengthen air pollution control, ensure energy security and suitability. with the development trend of the world’s means of transport. Simple structure of electric vehicles compared to vehicles using internal combustion engines “Electric vehicle” (EV) is often understood as a vehicle with an electric motor drive system. From the outside, an electric car looks like a car with an internal combustion engine (petroleum car). However, except for some parts and components for sharing, about 70% of the components of the two vehicles are different. The significant difference between electric vehicles and vehicles using internal combustion engines is the number of moving parts. Electric vehicles have only one moving part, which is the electric motor (motor), while cars using internal combustion engines have tens of thousands of different parts. Important components of electric vehicles include: battery, electric motor control system, regenerative braking system and powertrain. The number of spare parts for moving parts is less than in electric cars, which leads to another important difference, which is that electric cars require less maintenance (more economical to operate) and safer. safer, in addition to the advantages of environmental protection, civilized and modern technology. Why electric cars are becoming more and more popular At the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP 21) held in Paris (France), the participants reaffirmed their efforts to strengthen the response to climate change. The Paris Agreement announced in December 2015 has set a target to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. This goal can only be achieved when the energy and other sectors significantly reduce emissions. greenhouse gas emissions. The transport sector accounts for about a quarter of emissions from energy-related industries. The goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to contribute to achieving the goal of reducing global warming below 02 degrees Celsius can only be achieved with a strong commitment of the transport sector. The Sustainable Development Report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has shown that, to achieve this goal, by 2050, the world’s transport sector must contribute at least one-fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions. cuts from energy use activities. Electric cars are identified as a key factor contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in general, encouraging the development of new energy sources and recycled energy. In the context of rapid urbanization, the development of electric cars also contributes to reducing air pollution and noise pollution in big cities. The main obstacles to the development of electric cars are the initial cost of the car and the time available between two charges of the battery. However, the recent rapid development of science and technology has shown positive signs. According to a recent report by the US electric car company Proterra, a single charge for the bus can be up and running for 650 km and the price is becoming more and more relevant to the market to ensure more competitive exploitation than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Level of use of electric vehicles in countries around the world To date, China is the leading country in production, domestic consumption and export, with the famous electric car manufacturer BYD. In China, according to the data at the end of 2018, the total number of electric buses put into operation is over 421,000 units, Shenzhen city uses 100% of electric vehicles in public passenger transport, while Beijing and Shanghai , the utilization rate of electric buses has reached over 80%. Electric buses are increasingly popular in provinces and cities in China. Europe ranks 2nd among countries using electric vehicles with 2,250 units, the number of electric vehicles used will increase as some European countries such as the Netherlands set a target to convert and use 100% electric vehicles. (including buses, coaches plus and private cars) by 2024. The United States is also the country that is starting to shift towards using more electric vehicles. Although there are only over 300 electric buses in the United States, the number of electric buses is increasing in the near future, with the city of Los Ageles having just decided to buy 155 electric buses to serve all passenger transport activities. in this city. With the new energy policy (Green New Deal), led by many famous electric vehicle manufacturers such as Telsla, Proterra and even Apple recently announced the new Apple car electric car model, there is sure to be a boom in usage. electric vehicles in the United States under the new administration are clearly visible. For electric vehicles, environmental protection is always a top priority Why use an electric car? As mentioned above, electric vehicles are vehicles without chimneys, do not emit CO2, greenhouse gases into the environment. Therefore, the exploitation of electric vehicles in passenger transport is completely environmentally friendly, which is not controversial. Many researchers, policy makers still argue. The first is the traceable environmental issue of electric vehicles, that is, the source of electricity that electric vehicles use is clean electricity, that is, electricity using renewable energy such as solar power, wind power … or electricity from heat. Obviously, over the past time, the Government has called on businesses to invest in the production of solar power, rooftop voltage and wind power…, this electricity has been purchased by the state and connected to the national grid. Only the current supply has not met the demand and more clean electricity is needed to connect to the network. The second is the problem that the production of batteries for electric vehicles is still energy-intensive and emits a significant amount of CO2. As stated, today’s technology is evolving like crazy. As the demand for electric vehicles and batteries increases, mass production of large capacity batteries will result in better environmental control and lower loss and emissions. Here, it is a matter of deciding for the electric vehicle industry to have a direction in which to invest, cooperate and develop. When domestic manufacturers have been proactive in technology, it is possible to produce and recycle used batteries, thereby closing the production and exploitation process effectively and ensuring the problem. environment. What are the implications for passenger transport in Vietnam in the new period? Facing the environmental context, the challenge of air pollution as well as ensuring national energy security, Vietnam should consider the development of electric cars as a breakthrough policy for technology development, domestic auto industry. The introduction of electric vehicles into transport operation has really been a push to change for the progress to serve the travel needs of people and socio-economic development in the new period. The use of electric vehicles for public passenger transport is not only in the inner city as the project of electric buses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City as the media recently mentioned, but also hereby recommended that the State should have a policy to encourage the development of electric vehicles for inter-provincial passenger transport (both for fixed and non-fixed routes). To do this, the state has policies to socialize and encourage transport business owners to use electric vehicles in transport business activities; encourage businesses to invest in charging station infrastructure at rest stops, bus stations and other concentrated stops for re-energized vehicles to serve well for transport activities. In short, the policy to encourage the use of electric vehicles is a right one, in terms of both environmental protection as well as energy security. In addition to electric buses as currently proposed to be applied in the inner city of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City is also considering the application of intercity buses running on electricity. With a national electric passenger transport network being formed, improving user experience, increasing the quality of transport services, electric cars will have a good future in Vietnam, gradually replacing the traditional means of transport. fossil fuel-powered transportation.