Chinese electric cars, not yet licensed for use, available in Hanoi

January 31, 2015 | 11:56

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Despite not yet being licensed for circulation, the first electric cars have been imported from China to Hanoi and sold to consumers.

At a shop of motorbikes and bicycles on Thai Phien Street in Hoan Kiem District, H., the shop’s owner, confirmed with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s correspondents said he had sold the first Chinese electric car to a customer.

“We don’t lack supply but we import such cars only when customers pay deposits to us to purchase them,” H. said.

He also said the price of electric cars ranged from VND50 million ($2,340) to VND70 million ($3,280) per vehicle, depending on models, number of seats, color and weight.

He added that an electric car imported from China has from one to four seats, runs on electrically rechargeable batteries, and weighs 500 kilograms at maximum.

After hearing Tuoi Tre report about the appearance of such Chinese cars, Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of the Traffic Police Office under Hanoi Police Department, said his agency will first collect information about the consumption and sale of cars of this kind in the capital city.

The agency will then propose solutions for the management of import, trade and maintenance of electric cars, Colonel Thang said.

He added that this kind of vehicle has a potential of causing congestion and traffic accidents, so competent agencies must tighten their control over such vehicles to prevent them from being imported randomly into Vietnam.

In related news, early this month, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport said it will launch an electric car tourist service in the downtown area on a pilot basis in April.

The department has said that 10 eight-seat electric cars will be deployed for this service in its initial stage.

The cars will carry visitors to the city’s major tourist attractions in the downtown area, including Ben Thanh Market, the Municipal Theater, People’s Court Mansion, Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, Saigon Central Post Office, Reunification Palace, and Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

The cars, to start running on a pilot basis on April 30, will operate from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm every day, with intervals of 30 minutes.

There is not yet information about the origin of these electric cars.