On 6 January 2024, a delegation comprising representatives from NXPO and various organizations, including Dr.Thanakarn Wongdeethai, Secretary of PMUC’s Future Mobility Program Committee, NXPO and Mr.Pariphat Buranasin, Vice President of the Electric Vehicle Conversion Association of Thailand (ECAT), paid a visit to Rajamangala University of Technology Isan (RMUTI) Khon Kaen Campus. The group met with Mr.Prin Nachaisit, Vice President, and Asst. Prof. Dr.Haris Prasanchum, Assistant to the President, and engaged in discussions on the development of future mobility and Electric Vehicle (EV) Conversion industrialization.
Following the meeting, the group was given a tour to the EV Learning Center at the Faculty of Technical Education by Mr. Praphan Yawara, Dean of Faculty of Technical Education, and Dr.Suparerk Charmongkolpradit, Dean of Faculty of Engineering. This facility provides demonstrations on an array of EV and EV Conversion prototypes. In addition, Dr.Paiwan Kerdtuad, Assistant Dean of Faculty of Engineering, showed a tram vehicle donated to the university by Japan’s Hiroshima Electric Railway Company for educational purposes and visited to Rolling-Stock Workshop and Maintenance Cetner (DEPOT).
Rajamangala University of Technology Isan is committed to advancing both research and education, recognizing their crucial role in enhancing the nation’s competitiveness. Among the university’s latest programs are EV Conversion and railway engineering.
The EV Conversion program offered by the university is a 3-day short course. The course has graduated three cohorts, totaling 60 students. The majority of these students are vocational schoolteachers and owners of car repair shops and paint shops. Graduates are proficient in assembling battery packs and connecting electric motors. The university emphasized the need for government subsidies for expensive components like batteries, motors, and controllers to make EV Conversion part/components more accessible and affordable. In addition, they also suggested government support for testing equipment and tools such as motor testing equipment, battery pack testing equipment, laser or ultrasonic welding machines for battery pack.
Railway Engineering education is offered in three undergraduate programs: Civil Engineering (Specialization: Railway Engineering), Mechanical Engineering (Specialization: Railway Engineering), and Electrical Engineering (Specialization: Railway Engineering). These programs admit students from high school and vocational schools, with approximately 250 students currently enrolled and 50 having graduated. Graduates can obtain licenses for professional practice and work in rail system companies. 30 faculty members have received training in China, Japan and Germany, and participated in a Railway Engineering Training Course (REN) in Thailand (Batch #6-11). Support seeking from the government includes employment opportunities for graduates in leading companies such as Bangkok Mass Transit System, Bangkok Expressway and Metro, and S.R.T. Electrified Train, and funding for the construction of a 2-km test track for both standard gauge and meter gauge.
In addition, Assoc. Prof. Dr.Patamawadee Pochanukul, Director of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), along with representatives from the Budget Bureau and the Prime Minister’s Office, visited Cho Thavee Public Company Limited. They were shown the prototypes of light rail system, electric cars and EV taxi developed with funding received from PMUC, NXPO, the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and TSRI between 2020-2022.
The visit program featured the following presentations: 1) Railway Research and Education at RMUTI by Assoc.Prof.Kosit Sriphuthorn, President of Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, 2) EV Technology by Dean of Faculty of Technical Education, 3) Khon Kaen Model: Clear, Care, Fair, Share by Mr.Suradech Taweesaengsakulthai, President and CEO of Cho Thavee PCL, 4) Khon Kaen Smart City by a co-founder of Khon Kaen City Development (KKTT) Company Limited, and 5) Research and Manufacturing of EV Taxi Components by Dr.Paiwan Kerdtuad.
Photo Credit: RMUTI
