The government has finally approved a guideline for the registration and operation of electric vehicles.
It aims to have at least 30 percent vehicles electric by 2030, according to a Road Transport and Highways Division circular issued on Tuesday.
Electric Motor Vehicle Registration and Operation Guideline 2023″ will come into effect after a gazette of the guideline is published in a few days, said Nur Mohammad Mazumder, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.
The development comes more than four years after a draft guideline was submitted to the division in November 2018. The division then sent a four-member delegation to India to gain experience. The guideline was formulated as per section 124 of the Road Transport Act 2018.
As per the guideline, electric vehicles are those that are run by one or more electric motors powered by electric charge or rechargeable batteries. Battery-run rickshaws, vans and bicycles are not in this category.
Moreover, the battery-run easy-bikes, which saw a sharp rise over the years, will be outside the purview of this guideline, said the BRTA chairman.
Only the models of vehicles approved by the government committee will be considered electric vehicles, he told The Daily Star yesterday.
WHY THE GUIDELINE?
The importance of electric vehicles is growing. Bangladesh, under Nationally Determined Contribution, has promised to reduce emission of 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the transport sector by 2030, reads the guideline.
In this given situation, minimum 30 percent motor vehicles will have to be electric ones by 2030, it added.
Currently, BRTA provides registration and receives fees from electric vehicles following an executive order by the Road Transport and Highways Division, said a top BRTA official.
“The number of electric vehicles in the country is not significant but the number is increasing,” the official told this correspondent yesterday, wishing not to be named.
Around 20 electric vehicles of global automotive brands such as Tesla and Porsche have been registered with the BRTA since September 2022, according to a report of The Daily Star published on March 19 this year.
The purpose of the guideline is to bring discipline in approving electric vehicle’s operation, fixing a registration process, registration fees, economic life of vehicles, and reducing carbon emission and environment pollution, reads the guideline.
GUIDELINES
Each electric vehicle has to obtain registration like vehicles with an internal combustion engine require.
They will need registration, fitness certificate, tax token and route permit like other vehicles do.
Existing unsafe electric vehicles have to be renovated following a safe model issued by the government-approved entities. No electric vehicles with a top speed below 30kmph would be allowed to operate on the national and regional highways, it reads.
Dealers, agents, importers, local manufacturers or producers will not hand over electric three-wheelers or motorcycles to new owners without registration, it said.
Different government agencies including National Board of Revenue will announce special incentives to popularise electric vehicles.
Registration of the electric vehicle will be given for a specific period following the “economic life” of the vehicle and registration will be scrapped after the time expires and the vehicle has to be scraped, it said.
All laws and rules and guidelines of the transport sector will be applicable for the drivers of electric vehicles.
