HCMC covers electric motorbike battery storage cabinets, battery exchange prices will be affordable

Recently, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc has agreed on the policy of allowing the installation of electric motorbike battery cabinets on the sidewalk.

According to Mr. Do Ngoc Hai - Head of the Department of Traffic Construction Maintenance and Exploitation Management, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the battery swapping cabinet model brings great convenience to users.

People just need to remove old batteries and replace fully charged batteries, not have to wait like at traditional charging points. Arranging a battery cabinet on sidewalks and public areas makes it easier for users to access, especially for technology drivers and delivery vehicles.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to coordinate with relevant units to review and select locations that are eligible for installation, ensuring technical safety, not affecting pedestrians, traffic and entrances and exits to people's houses.

After the agreement, the city will announce a list of locations for businesses to register, deploy, license and fulfill the obligations of sidewalk usage fees according to regulations.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction said that the price of battery exchange is calculated in the direction of " finding a wallet", encouraging people to boldly switch to electric motorbikes.

Currently, two enterprises are proposing to participate in socializing investment in battery swapping systems and electric vehicle charging stations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Great Wealth Trading and Service Company Limited proposed to deploy 10,000 battery swaps next to lighting poles on routes with suitable sidewalks, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

The 6-12-ted battery cabinets, with a capacity of 6kW to 12kW, are designed with units, using a 220V power source drawn from an existing lighting pole, with a separate measuring meter and monitoring connection via 4G. The enterprise plans to install 5,000 cabinets in the first quarter of 2026 and the remaining 5,000 cabinets in the second quarter of 2026.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the model of combining lighting poles with battery swapping stations has been applied in many European countries. Taking advantage of existing infrastructure is considered a smart, sustainable solution, helping the city quickly expand the battery exchange network.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has about 182,722 lighting poles, of which the old Ho Chi Minh City area has 77,389 poles, Binh Duong has 23,229 poles and Ba Ria - Vung Tau has 82,104 poles. Therefore, the pilot installation of 10,000 battery swaps is feasible, as a basis for expansion in the coming time.

Similarly, V-Green Global Charging Station Development Joint Stock Company also proposed to install 10,000 6-12 tray electric motorbike battery swaps on spacious sidewalks, from 0.5 m to 1 m from the roadside, near bus shelters, hospitals, schools, museums, and public administrative agencies.

Each location has a parking space for users to change the battery right on the sidewalk, without affecting pedestrian traffic.

V-Green aims to complete the entire system in the first quarter of 2026, serving more than 400,000 technology drivers and delivery in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction said that Ho Chi Minh City currently has about 100,000 electric motorbikes, 300 fast charging stations and about 50 battery swapping points. This infrastructure has not yet met actual needs, while the general recommendation in the world is that about 50 electric motorbikes need a charging port or battery swap.

Most people currently charge their cars at home or in apartments, which poses a potential risk of electrical safety and fire prevention and fighting.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction is developing a roadmap from 2029, 100% of motorbikes and mopeds participating in the operation of technology vehicles transporting passengers and goods will use electricity, with a scale of about 400,000 vehicles.

According to forecasts, by 2030, Ho Chi Minh City can reach about 1.2 million electric motorbikes and needs to develop more than 25,000 public charging stations and battery converters to meet the demand.

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