Sri Lanka, like many other global nations, is working towards adopting greener and cleaner approaches for a more sustainable and resilient future. With the prevailing socio-economic crisis in the island, a shift towards adopting sustainable mobility approaches has been identified as a necessity for a green recovery process.
In line with this, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka is working closely with the Ministry of Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Power and Energy, together with the Department of Motor Traffic and the National Transport Commission to develop a project to mainstream e-mobility through the conversion of 500,000 Tuk-Tuks to electric vehicles (EVs) or e-Tuk-Tuks over a 5-year period.
The project aims to support the conversion of petrol three-wheelers to electric three-wheelers as a means for enhancing mobility as a driver of low-carbon, inclusive, equitable development pathways within Sri Lanka. The proposed three-phased project consists of an incubation phase, a demonstration phase and an acceleration phase. The incubation phase will test the conversion process, the demonstration phase will support conversions and the acceleration phase will use market forces for conversion through concessional financing and infrastructure development. The incubation phase will support the conversion of 200 petrol three-wheelers to electric three-wheelers.
The launch of the pilot project on the conversion of petrol Tuk Tuks to Electric Tuk Tuks will be held on Thursday at the Department of Motor Traffic.