Prime Minister drives domestically-made electric vehicles

The Prime Minister inspected the country's electric vehicles (EVs) and praised the progress of the domestic auto industry and assured necessary support.

On Saturday morning, he inspected several electric vehicles manufactured by Bangladesh Auto Industries Limited at the Prime Minister's Office premises in Tejgaon in the capital. During this time, he personally drove an SUV and a covered van and verified their technical capabilities.

The manufacturer said that this is the country's first fully electric vehicle manufacturing initiative, where environment-friendly technology has been used. Since the vehicles are battery-powered, there is no need for fuel oil and the running cost is also comparatively low.

The Prime Minister said that the government will provide all kinds of support if such vehicles can be produced domestically while ensuring safety and quality.

Several EV models including SUVs, covered vans, trucks, auto-rickshaws and motorcycles were brought to the office. After the inspection, he held a meeting with the representatives of the company and discussed production and market potential.

The chairman of the company said that if duty benefits are given on raw material imports, it will be possible to produce EVs at a lower cost in the country. On the other hand, the managing director said that there is a possibility of exporting these cars in the future as international standards are maintained.

According to the manufacturers, some models of SUVs can travel more than 450 kilometers on a single charge, while trucks and covered vans can travel about 200 kilometers on a single charge.

Senior government officials and advisors were present during the inspection.