What skills need to be developed to support Cambodia’s ambitious EV growth plans?

The Cambodian government has set very ambitious 2030 targets for the adoption of electric vehicles – cars, motorcycles and tuktuks – which will both lower emissions across the country, and, as a newly published study commissioned by Energylab shows, will create a large number of new jobs and skills across the country.

In 2030, almost 800,000 electric vehicles will be on Cambodian roads according to the government, with the vast majority being motorbikes and tuktuks. But as of November 2024, Cambodia had 6,540 registered EVs, so while there are likely to be more unregistered units, it's clear that the challenge of getting almost 800,000 new vehicles on the road is an epic one.

If these new electric bikes and cars enter the market by 2030, we will need an army of staff across the country - and they will need extensive training. There are about 150 local technicians with EV training in Cambodia today, with the report highlighting that at least 15,000 EV assembly workers, engineers, technicians, service advisors and battery specialists will be needed. Government projections on EV-related jobs are even higher. While this offers great potential for developing new skills and potentially paying jobs, the report highlighted the many opportunities that exist to support the nationwide Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. It will be central to the success of EV uptake that the nation's many technicians boost their current extraordinary ability to keep cars and bikes of all ages and conditions running.

With such ambitious EV adoption targets, the government is clearly signalling that the future of road travel in Cambodia will be electric; and 2030 is very close indeed. All of these new vehicles will drive demand for new skills, the updating of existing ones, and it will be key that the Kingdom’s TVET schools can offer the necessary classes. It is exciting to imagine soon seeing more EVs along more rural roads across Cambodia, supported by a network of solar-charging stations, and with high-skilled mechanics available as needed.



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