Sri Lanka: Low emission zone for tuk-tuks?

Electric cars are of undisputed importance for the transport turnaround. But what role can they play in countries where cars are often not the first choice of citizens when it comes to their mobility needs? This is precisely why - while countries like Norway and Sweden focus on promoting electric cars - electric mobility is taking other forms in Asia. Over the next five years, Sri Lanka plans to convert over half a million tuk-tuks to electric drives. 

There are probably about 1.2 million of these small motorised rickshaws on the roads of the South Asian country. So it makes perfect sense for the Ministry of Transport to start the electric revolution on the island with a vehicle that is so firmly anchored in everyday life. Together with the Ministry of Electricity and Energy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this is to develop plans for the sustainable transformation of the auto-rickshaw fleet over the coming years. Almost half of the tuk-tuks currently on the road are to be equipped with electric motors. However, the conversion will first start with 200 motorised three-wheelers from the capital region. Priority will be given to vehicle owners who are massively financially dependent on their tuk-tuks.  

One of the main goals of the project is to bring electric tricycles into circulation - and thus support the many tuk-tuk drivers who have had to give up their autorickshaws due to the economic crisis and the lack of fuel. At the same time, Sri Lanka and the United Nations want to use it to boost the transport turnaround on the island. "This portfolio aims to find joint solutions to catalyse low-carbon, green and inclusive development, where sustainable transport and electric mobility play a key role," explains Azusa Kubota of the UNDP programme. 

However, there are still many steps that the country needs to take to create a sustainable system that could support a long-term and defensible expansion of the electric sector in Sri Lanka. For example, the construction of suitable charging infrastructure should also be included in the local government's plans and ensure that the new electric autorickshaws can be charged on the road at affordable prices. Could low emission zones also make sense in this context? This would regulate the traffic of the many other combustion vehicles still on the road - with the resulting benefits for air quality and the environment - and indirectly encourage the switch from electric vehicles such as e-tuk-tuks.