Solar Charging Made Mandatory for E-Rickshaw Registration

Image: Collected

Battery-powered e-rickshaws and auto-rickshaws will have to be charged using solar power to qualify for registration, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said on Monday.

Owners who charge the vehicles with electricity from sources other than solar power will face fines under the new rules, the state minister said.

He made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a review meeting with departments and agencies under his ministry.

According to Shahe Alam, battery-powered e-rickshaws will now be brought under a new registration system through city corporations and municipalities. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will no longer register these vehicles.

“From now on, BRTA will not register these e-rickshaws. City corporations and municipalities will do so,” he said.

Registration and renewal will be subject to several conditions, including mandatory solar-powered charging. Vehicles charged from non-solar sources will not be eligible for registration or renewal.

Shahe Alam said a law has already been passed in Parliament and rules are now being prepared. The rules will determine registration and renewal fees along with other requirements.

An e-rickshaw will also require a fitness certificate from the automobile branch of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) or a government polytechnic institute at the district level to obtain registration.

The fitness certificate must be submitted to the relevant city corporation or municipality after being countersigned by the traffic police, he added.