Lack of electric car parking
Hundreds of residents in Tan Phuoc apartment building (Minh Phung ward, Ho Chi Minh City) are living in a state of insecurity due to fear of fire and explosion, after learning that there are 4 electric cars in the basement of the apartment building.
Receiving feedback from residents, the Apartment Management Board quickly issued a notice: "For safety reasons for Tan Phuoc Apartment, from July 23, 2025, the Management Board requests that electric vehicles, including electric bicycles, electric motorbikes, and electric cars, not be kept in the apartment basement area."
The announcement was made, but residents were still worried. Electric car owners who were residents of the apartment building were in a dilemma because they did not know where to park their cars when they got home from work.
Mr. Bui Thanh Phuc, Tam Phu apartment building (Tam Binh ward, Ho Chi Minh City), said that recently, the number of fires and explosions caused by electric vehicles has increased, causing heavy damage to property and human life, leaving residents haunted. Meanwhile, the increasing number of residents buying electric vehicles instead of gasoline-powered vehicles has increased pressure on the apartment building due to lack of parking space, battery charging points, and concerns about fire safety.
To ensure the safety of residents, the Apartment Management Board has issued Notice No. 05/2025 with the following content: “The Management Board requests that all electric vehicles are not allowed to be parked in the apartment building’s basement. Absolutely do not bring electric vehicles or electric vehicle batteries into the elevator or bring them to the apartment to charge…”.
Not only in Ho Chi Minh City, in some provinces and cities, many apartment buildings also issued notices prohibiting parking of electric vehicles in the basement of the apartment building. Based on the actual fire prevention and fighting work in the building and the potential risks related to charging and storing vehicles using electric batteries such as electric bicycles, electric motorbikes, electric cars, the Management Board of The Pegasus Plaza Apartment ( Dong Nai province) proposed not allowing electric vehicles to be parked in the basement area, to ensure fire safety for the entire building.
No consensus, difficult to manage
Using electric vehicles instead of gasoline vehicles is an inevitable trend. Ho Chi Minh City also has a plan to convert from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles to move towards green transportation, first of all, converting the workforce of technology and delivery drivers. According to the plan, from now until 2029, the city will convert 400,000 vehicles, with many preferential policies on VAT, registration fees, loan interest rates, free registration, etc. Thus, the number of electric vehicles in the coming time will increase rapidly, the need for parking spaces and charging points in apartment buildings is more urgent than ever.
In fact, not only old apartments but also many newly built, large-scale, modern apartments “forget” parking spots and charging stations for electric vehicles. The number of apartments designed with parking spots and charging stations that ensure fire safety and prevention can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Mr. Nguyen Phong Dien, living in Popal Boulevard apartment building (Di An ward, Ho Chi Minh City) - one of the few apartment buildings with electric vehicle parking and charging points - said that the apartment building's basement is designed with parking space, battery charging system and fire prevention and fighting for electric vehicles. Residents can comfortably park their motorbikes and electric cars in the basement, unlike many residents in surrounding apartment buildings who have to struggle to find a place to park their vehicles.
Talking to us, Mr. Le Van Quang, Head of Tan Phuoc Apartment Management Board, informed that the apartment building was built in 2016, consisting of 3 blocks, with over 1,000 apartments but the design does not have an electric vehicle parking area, battery charging system, nor fire safety measures for electric vehicles. In early 2025, the apartment management board organized to ask for residents' opinions, and 80% of residents did not agree to keep electric vehicles in the basement.
To support residents in using electric vehicles, the Management Board has proactively contacted parking lots for 4 electric cars, and built an electric car garage and a charging station for bicycles and electric motorbikes in the apartment building. The Management Board also purchased 2 special fire extinguishers to put out fires caused by electric vehicles. The Management Board's measures are only temporary and not fundamental or sustainable.
Mr. Tran Thuong, Deputy Manager of Tam Phu Apartment, said that to serve the needs of residents, the Management Board built an electric vehicle garage and a battery charging station. Staff regularly inspect, maintain, repair, and replace equipment for electric vehicles, and update information and fire prevention and fighting safety measures for vehicle users. The battery charging fee for electric vehicles is 50,000 VND/month for electric bicycles; 70,000 VND/month for vehicles used for commuting and 250,000 VND/month for electric vehicles used for services.
“The measures taken by the apartment management board to support people using electric vehicles in terms of parking and charging points are only temporary solutions. The government needs to have fundamental and sustainable policies and plans; otherwise, the city’s goal of developing green transportation will be difficult to achieve, because apartment buildings lack parking and charging points,” Mr. Tran Thuong shared.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cu-dan-thap-thom-vi-xe-dien-trong-ham-chung-cu-post807911.html
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