The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Electric Vehicle Association of Thailand (EVAT), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), convened more than 160 participants from 29 countries in Bangkok from 1-4 December 2025 for the Regional Meeting and Workshop on Unlocking Finance for Scaling Up E-Mobility in Asia and the Pacific.
The event brought together government officials, development partners, academia, civil society, and private sector representatives for four days packed with activity, including a hands-on study tour to see electric buses and ferries in operation, an Expert Group Meeting on active and electric mobility hosted by ESCAP, a two-day Regional Meeting, as well as a training workshop on building bankable e-mobility projects.
The program started with a study tour hosted by Thai Smile Bus and Energy Absolute, on 1 December. During the study tour, the participants gained first-hand insights into planning and operations of large-scale electric bus and ferry systems by observing real-time fleet coordination and engaging with the management of Thai Smile Bus.
In the afternoon of 1 December, ESCAP hosted an expert group meeting highlighting how urban planning can better link active mobility, such as walking and cycling, with electric public transport. The session underscored the importance of safe, inclusive infrastructure to enable low-carbon and just transport development.
During the Regional Meeting on 2-3 December, the participants identified shared barriers to scaling up e-mobility and unlocking finance, including data gaps, knowledge and institutional gaps, lack of enabling policies, infrastructure gaps (including charging), challenges with cross-modal planning and the fragmented nature of the transport sector, and a lack of political leadership in some cases. Further, there appears to be a mismatch between the requirements of climate financiers and multilateral development banks and the capacities of governments in developing bankable project concepts.
The discussions emphasized that while e-mobility is advancing rapidly across the region, successful scale-up requires holistic systems-level planning across modes and sectors. Examples of holistic planning include travel-demand management measures such as Low Emission Zones, and pedestrian, biker, and public transport-friendly infrastructure, such as green transport corridors. Further, clear national and local policy roadmaps, and well-defined institutional roles were consistently identified as critical for reducing investor risk and mobilizing private capital. Participants also underlined the growing importance of battery management and circularity approaches, including second-life applications, as essential elements of sustainable e-mobility ecosystems. In addition, the need for stronger project preparation support and early-stage technical assistance was emphasized.
Finally, the training workshop on 4 December strengthened the participants’ skills in structuring bankable public and public–private partnership projects, with a focus on aligning proposals with climate finance criteria and development bank requirements.
This regional meeting and workshop confirmed the practical value of regional peer exchange, enabling participants to share country experiences, identify adaptable solutions, and build networks to support the planning of e-mobility deployment.
The event marked the second in-person meeting under ADB’s Global Environment Facility (GEF)-supported E-Mobility Support and Investment Platform for Asia and the Pacific and the first regional gathering of projects under the ADB-Green Climate Fund (GCF) E-Mobility Program. Through these initiatives, ADB and its partners are supporting knowledge sharing and peer learning, as well as the preparation of projects integrating e-bus systems, green transport corridors, and non-motorized transport to advance climate-resilient, low-emission transport.
