The Fumes of Defeat: Hanoi’s Petrol Bike Ban U-Turn

Hanoi has watered down its ambitious plan to ban petrol motorbikes in favor of electric two-wheelers, a move that underscores the challenges of transitioning to cleaner energy. The city’s authorities initially aimed to create a “low-emissions zone” covering 26 square kilometers but have now retreated from this goal.

Instead, they will limit the ban to just 11 streets over 0.5 square kilometers, and even that is being phased in hesitantly – petrol bikes will be barred only on Friday evenings and some of the weekend. This decision highlights the difficulties of persuading the public to switch from fossil fuels, despite government efforts to promote electric vehicles.

Many motorbike owners have welcomed the ban’s watered-down version as a relief from what they saw as an overreach of bureaucratic zeal. Phuong Anh Nguyen, a 24-year-old Hanoi resident and researcher who rides a petrol motorbike, notes that “almost everyone opposes the ban.” While acknowledging that pollution is a major problem in Hanoi, she cites concerns about maintenance costs and battery fire risks for her unwillingness to switch to an electric vehicle.

Nguyen Khac Giang, a Vietnam analyst, offers a more nuanced explanation for the authorities’ retreat. The government tends to back down when its legitimacy is threatened, he notes, suggesting that the prospect of widespread opposition and job losses in the motorbike industry may have been too great a risk for Hanoi’s leaders to take.

The challenges facing Vietnam in transitioning to electric vehicles are evident in the country’s seven million motorbikes on the roads – outnumbering cars by roughly seven to one. While VinFast, a local EV-maker, has seen a surge in sales, it still lags behind Honda and other manufacturers of internal combustion engine bikes.

The government has offered subsidies of up to 5 million Vietnamese dong (S$240) for those switching to electric bikes, but this may not be enough to persuade many riders. Hanh Nguyen points out that the subsidy is insufficient, especially for recent graduates like herself.

The availability of charging stations remains a major concern, with reports of breakdowns and battery fires further discouraging potential switchers. The Hanoi experience also puts into perspective the struggles facing other countries in their own transitions to electric vehicles – Europe’s scrapped ban on new petrol and diesel cars set to come into effect in 2035 is a notable example.

The complexities of weaning the public off fossil fuels are evident in Vietnam’s own timeline for transitioning to electric vehicles. India, for instance, has stretched out its transition to 50 years. Hanoi’s petrol bike ban u-turn serves as a reminder that even with the best of intentions, the path to sustainability is rarely straightforward – and often requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to adapt.