In a significant move to promote sustainable local tourism and green technology, the Bang Mod community officially launched its electric canal boats today. The initiative, supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands and by the community development experts from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), aims to repurpose traditional, noisy engine boats into quiet, zero-emission vessels.
The launch event was attended by H.E. Mr. Remco van Wijngaarden, the Ambassador of the Netherlands; Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, the Governor of Bangkok; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chawin Chantharasenawong, Vice President for Internationalization of KMUTT; and Ms. Wilaiwan Prathumwong, the Creative Canal Enterprise Chairman—highlighting the project’s importance to the wider Bangkok Metropolitan Area.
KMUTT played a central role in bringing the community’s vision to life by providing critical engineering support. Over the past year, KMUTT mechanical engineering students worked directly on the electric boat prototypes as part of their graduation theses. By applying their academic knowledge to real-world challenges, the students successfully delivered technical solutions that allow the boats to operate cleanly, efficiently and with strict safety standards in mind, in the local canal network.
Beyond the engineering of the boats, KMUTT has also provided extensive community development support. The university views the project as a catalyst for generating local enterprises focused on electronic boat refitting and maintenance, creating new economic opportunities for residents.
“Our role at KMUTT goes far beyond the classroom; we are deeply invested in the communities around us,” said Chawin Chantharasenawong, Vice President for International Affairs at KMUTT. The electric boat project is a perfect example of how technical engineering support can directly empower local residents. We are incredibly proud of our students’ hands-on contributions to these prototypes. We hope to see this ecotourism with electric boat model be further adopted in other canal communities.
Moving forward, KMUTT will remain fully committed to supporting the Bang Mod community. The university plans to continue its area-based research and technical assistance to improve the well-being and livelihood of residents through long-term, sustainable projects.
By turning the canals into a dynamic testing ground for green innovation, KMUTT and the Bang Mod community hope this initiative will serve as a successful model for other waterway communities across Bangkok.
