Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday the government has a plan to introduce electric-run motor vehicles in the country soon.
“We are bringing 100 double-decker electric buses having air conditioned facility for Dhaka and Chattogram,” he said while inaugurating a two-day long workshop at a hotel in the capital as chief guest.
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with Road Transport and Bridges Ministry and the World Bank organized the workshop titled ‘Sub-regional Meeting and Capacity Building Workshop on Accelerating the Transition to Electric Mobility in Asia and the Pacific.
As part of the government campaign for reducing carbon emission, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will bring those double-décor buses for plying on the streets at the end of the current year, Obaidul Quader said.
He said of those, 80 buses will be operated in the capital and rest 20 will run in Chattogram city.
Chaired by Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, the workshop was addressed, among others, by Power Division Secretary Habibur Rahman and World Bank Cooperation Manger Dandan Chen.
The key objectives of the workshop is to introduce in the Asia Pacific Initiative on Electric Mobility, Regional Cooperation Mechanism on Low Carbon Transport, and various EV knowledge products, such as guidelines, case studies and business models that are applicable in the sub-region. Disseminate and discuss the World Bank’s efforts in promoting electric nobility in Bangladesh and globally. Create awareness of EV development in the sub-region and Bangladesh on the need to accelerate transition to electric mobility for public transport.
Discussions on policy recommendations and a way forward for accelerating the transition to electric mobility in public transport in the sub-region and Bangladesh.
First day of the workshop, four sessions were held. The first session focused on existing global and regional experiences on electric mobility that can be leveraged to accelerate the transition to electric mobility in Bangladesh.
Madan B Regmi, Transport Division, ESCAP, described regional overview of transport policy and electrification of public transport, while Gerald Paul Ollivier, lead Transport Specialist, World Bank, highlighted the economic implication of E-mobility in Bangladesh.
Another World Bank expert Mansha Sehgal presented EV transformation in India: Systematic approach to accelerate EV adoption.
Representative of SMMR Project, GIZ Joachim Bergerhoff informed the audience about the electrification of light electric vehicles and pre-transit to improve the efficiency of first-and last-mile connectivity.
Anisur Rahman, joint secretary of the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, Nirod Chandra Mondal, joint secretary of the Power Division, Najmus Shayadat of Walton, Salma Islam of Solshare, Aminur Rahman of Runner Group and Mir Masud Kabir of Bangladesh Auto Industries described different issues of the EVs and its efficiency. They also highlighted the EV policy, guideline, implication and incentives and tax holydays in the country.
Fadiah Achmadi of World Bank moderated the function and later presented a paper highlighting public transport electrification: policy drivers, challenges and its opportunities.
