CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Reply To:
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Govt. to initiate projects to manufacture, assemble electric vehicles
The government is planning to launch projects on manufacturing and assembling of electric vehicles in the country while implementing other programs to convert three-wheelers and buses that are used for public transport into medium and short-term projects, Transport Ministry and Mass Media Additional Secretary Lalith de Alwis said.
Addressing the media, he said 1.4 million three-wheelers are registered with the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) and 500,000 three-wheelers out of the total capacity are engaged in direct transport services. Another 300,000 are engaged in public transportation indirectly.
"All the three-wheelers use a higher volume of fuel, and the government has to spend more money on importing fuel for them. Therefore, the DMT is hoping to initiate the conversion project from three-wheelers and move the project for the conversion of private vehicles and public transportation," he said.
Meanwhile, DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Weerasinghe said that relating to the conversion of three-wheelers to electric, we have several issues with registering, regulating, and establishing standards for the institutions that provide the service as we do not have such information and the relevant technology.
Therefore, the DMT launched a workshop with the help of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The pilot program of the project was to convert 300 three-wheelers from fuel to electricity operation.
Because of the significant environmental damage caused by the two-stroke three-wheelers, the government has decided to prohibit the registration, importation and the use of such vehicles. But those three-wheelers are still in use. Therefore, the DMT has decided to start the conversion program from those as a pilot project.
The Commissioner General requested the local and international institutions that have the infrastructure to proceed with the conversion project to register with the DMT before the end of this month (30). (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)
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