‘Fulfillment of Decarbonized City’

Toyota hands over its first Thailand-made BEV Pickups to be used for public shuttle services to decarbonize Pattaya City

One of Toyota’s key missions is to achieve Carbon Neutrality by taking a Lifecycle Management approach, where emissions from production to end-of-life are tackled, and furthermore, specifically for the vehicles, the company aims to pursue a “Multi-Pathway” approach to offer every possible low carbon technology at scale, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from vehicle usage immediately. This effort leads to the advancement and introduction of pioneering automotive innovations, encompassing extensive research and development of various powertrain systems with diverse characteristics catering to a myriad of energy options in a bid to provide alternative modes of transportation, that align with each customer group’s needs, as well as the suitability of available infrastructure.

To thoroughly understand the required infrastructure along with the behaviors and perceptions of users in real life usage conditions in Thailand, Toyota has initiated this trial project aiming to study and research such information under the “Decarbonized Sustainable City Project” in Pattaya. Towards this aim, Toyota collaborated with like-minded partners from various sectors, including organizations specializing in energy, as well as government agencies and entrepreneurs in the Chonburi province to collectively work to establish a comprehensive ecosystem that promotes the adoption of environmentally friendly vehicles, encompassing a wide range of powertrain systems under the Multi Pathway Approach. This has allowed the local community and visiting tourists in Pattaya to try to use various newer forms of transportation, including Last Mile Transportation with the Toyota C+Pod vehicles and Inter – City Transportation with the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). On top of that, the company has collaborated with various leading partners to introduce Thailand’s first-ever hydrogen refueling station, which supplies energy for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). This FCEV and hydrogen refueling trial also represents Toyota’s demonstration of Long Distance Transportation with the Toyota Mirai for tourists and people in Pattaya and Chonburi, travelling to and from U-Tapao International Airport.

Today, Toyota’s handover over the groundbreaking Hilux Revo-e vehicles for the trial service of the “Song Thaew,” of which Toyota will deliver 12 units in total, will result in fixed-route transportation services within the Pattaya city area from April 2024
to December 2025. This initiative lays a significant foundation for a modern and pollution-free public transportation system in Pattaya in the future.

At present, residents and tourists in Pattaya are showing keen interest in utilizing Toyota’s alternative energy vehicle services. In fact, they have already used the vehicles 4,500 times, covering a total distance of over 335,000 kilometers by the end of 2023. This initiative brings Toyota closer to its main objective, which is to minimize carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions (target in Pattaya: at least 4,225 tons by 2025).

Mr. Surapoom Udomwong, Executive Vice-President of Toyota Motor Thailand Company Limited, said, “Today we fulfill the sustainable mobility ecosystem in Pattaya, under our multi-pathway approach, as we handed over Hilux Revo-e serving as “Song Thaew” to provide sustainable option for public transportation. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation of all valued partners in actively promoting Pattaya as model city for smart & sustainable transportation, which is genuinely crucial towards achieving Thailand’s Carbon Neutrality goal.” 

“Move Your World”