Retrofitting existing two and three wheelers to electric is attractive in Cambodia because the vehicle parc is large, journeys are short and fuel cost is felt immediately. Whether a specific programme works depends on three things that have little to do with battery pricing.
Duty and registration treatment sets the ceiling
The cost gap between a retrofitted vehicle and an imported electric one is decided largely by how kits, cells and completed conversions are treated at import and at re-registration. Before quoting a programme, that treatment has to be confirmed for the specific kit configuration — not assumed from a neighbouring market.
Charging behaviour decides the pack, not the spec sheet
Most riders charge overnight from a single-phase domestic supply. Sizing a pack for a fast-charge scenario that will not exist in practice adds cost that the operator never recovers. Real duty cycles — daily distance, load, stop frequency, ambient temperature — should drive pack and motor selection.
- Measure actual daily distance across a two-week sample before sizing
- Design for overnight single-phase charging as the base case
- Plan thermal behaviour for sustained high ambient temperature
- Include IoT telematics so the assumptions can be checked after deployment
Workshop capability is the real constraint
A conversion programme only scales if local workshops can fit, diagnose and service the kit. That means fixture design, a documented fitment procedure, training, spare availability and a diagnostic route that does not require the original engineer to fly in. Programmes fail at service, not at the first conversion.
How we approach a pilot
We start with a small instrumented pilot fleet: kit components matched to measured duty cycles, IoT telematics and battery monitoring from day one, a written fitment and diagnostic procedure, and a review after the first months of running data before anyone commits to volume.
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