Blaze destroys Bangkok EV station. Police probe fire at Winnonie motorbike charging hub. No injuries, but extensive damage feared. Station part of expanding eco-friendly taxi network.
Police in Pathumwan in Bangkok are investigating a fire which extensively damaged a motorbike EV charging station on Saturday. The charging service run by Winnonie is part of a growing network of electric motor taxis that is expanding across Bangkok.
A fire in Bangkok on Saturday destroyed an EV battery charging station in the Chatuchak area of the city.
Officers at Pathumwan Police Station received the alert at 1:30 pm. The location was on Chula Soi 1 opposite the Lotus outlet on Rama 1.
They rushed to the scene and summoned the fire service.
No injuries in the fire which left the charging station extensively damaged. Police seek to question the owner of the facility as they assess the incident
Additionally, there were no injuries as fire trucks doused the charging station area with water. The charging station was extensively damaged in the fire.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arkom Chumparat, the Superintendent of Pathumwan Police Station, later disclosed that the police were investigating the cause and nature of the fire.
They were addressing questions to the owner of the facility, in particular, to assess the extent of the damage caused by the fire. For instance, the cost. Certainly, it appeared to be extensive.
Firefighters, at one point in their efforts to extinguish the flames, had to use an axe. In short, there were fears of an explosion or a more severe conflagration.
Station was one of 125 catering to motorcycle taxi drivers as part of an expanding new mobility service using lower-cost and cleaner electric vehicles
The charging station itself was a Winnonie facility which is owned and operated by Thailand’s Bangchak Corporation.
Winnonie is a service for motorcycle taxi service providers and is in expansion mode. The service provides charging and battery swapping facilities to motorbike taxis with engines equivalent to a 125cc motorcycle.
The motorbikes can travel at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.
At this time, the motorbikes are imported and come with two batteries, each giving a range of 80 to 100 km. The motorbike taxi simply swaps the used battery for a new one in a process that takes two minutes.
The service, including the motorbike rental, app, and operating costs, is priced at ฿4,200 per month. In short, it cuts the costs for motor taxi operators by a reported 50%.
Company recently signed a deal with BTS
The network had 125 charging stations in Bangkok at the end of 2023.
At the same time, the firm has recently signed an expansion agreement with the BTS Group, operators of Bangkok’s rail network.
It is a startup firm that provides a full service to such taxis and as of January 2024 had 1,000 users in its network.
The service has also recently been extended to electric Tuk Tuks with an app called Muvmi. In the meantime, Winnonie is targeting a 10% market share by 2026.
Luxury Porsche EV car worth ฿10 million self-ignites and is destroyed in minutes at a central Bangkok dealership
The firm prides itself on being environmentally friendly while making life better for Bangkok’s famous moto taxi operators.
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