HCMC – HCMC is reviewing a proposal to install 20,000 battery swap cabinets for electric motorbikes on sidewalks and streetlight poles to ease charging bottlenecks and improve safety.
The Department of Construction has submitted a report to the city government proposing a public–private model for the rollout. The plan comes as the city’s charging infrastructure lags behind the rapid growth of electric motorbikes.
HCMC currently has around 100,000 electric motorbikes in operation. However, supporting infrastructure remains limited, with about 300 fast-charging poles and 50 battery swap points citywide. This falls well below international recommendations of one station per 50 vehicles, forcing many users to charge at home or in apartment buildings, raising fire safety concerns.
To address the gap, the department has consolidated proposals from two companies—Great Wealth Trading and Services Co., Ltd. and V-Green Global Charging Station Development JSC. Both firms have committed to investing without using public funds. A pilot phase is proposed through 2027 to assess operational effectiveness.
Under the plan submitted to the city, the 20,000 cabinets would be widely deployed at street corners and along sidewalks. Great Wealth proposes installing 10,000 compact cabinets integrated into existing streetlight poles. Each unit would have six to 12 battery slots, use the pole’s power supply, and include separate electricity meters.
V-Green proposes another 10,000 cabinets along roads with sidewalks wider than three meters, prioritizing areas near bus stops, schools, and public facilities. The network would mainly serve ride-hailing and delivery drivers, estimated at more than 400,000 people, who have high and continuous energy demand.
Each cabinet would measure about one meter by 1.4 meters. Battery swaps would take around two minutes, compared with three to eight hours for conventional charging.
If approved, the project would create a large-scale battery swap network and support the city’s transition toward cleaner transport.
