Electric cars are proving popular in HCM City even though the authorities have yet to allow them to be registered for use due to concerns about safety and suitability to traffic conditions and drivers have been told to get off the road.
“The cars are imported from China. We have just sold 12 out of 16 newly-imported cars,” a seller said, “Be assured, their maximum speed is only 30km per hour, so police won’t apply fines.”
The three-wheeled vehicles cost VND45m (USD2,100) to VND55m each. The most expensive are capable of running for 100km on a single charge, while the cheapest model has a range of 40km.
A shop owner on Nguyen Trai Street said the electric cars are not being displayed, but are on sale.
Vu Thu Ha, a resident in HCM City, said she had to put her new vehicle into storage after buying it four days ago. “I was warned by police while driving the kids to Thu Thiem River,” Ha said. “I saved VND60m to buy the car. Now I regret it.”
Authorities of Cam Binh Commune, concerned about traffic safety, have banned people from buying the electric vehicles and driving them without a license, alleging they are really just modified golf carts and not suitable to road conditions.
On Binh Ba Island, authorities asked people to stop using the electric vehicles, but despite the request more than 20 of the vehicles were on the island’s streets by the end of last November.
Lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, vice chairman of HCM City’s Lawyers’ Association, said three-wheeled electric cars must be registered for number plates.
“It’s unclear whether these cars are imported in accordance with the laws or smuggled from China,” he said.
Nguyen To An, head of the Motor Vehicle Quality Department under the Vietnam Registry, said all import cars must be inspected for technical safety and environmental issues. The Vietnam Registry has only given licenses to hybrid cars that use both gasoline and electric motors. It has not received any documentation regarding low-budget electric cars from China.
“It’s a violation if unlicensed cars are brought into traffic,” An said.
Vietnam Registry has asked relevant agencies to strictly punish violators and investigate how such vehicles are being imported without going through proper safety inspection channels.
