Bhutan’s taxis set to make way for electric ones

THIMPHU: Bhutan has drawn up ambitious plans to replace its taxis and government vehicles with electric cars in a bid to make the national capital Thimpu an electric vehicles hotspot and emerge as a global centre for development of green technology.

It will replace the 2,500 taxis in Thimphu with electric cars and also phase out fuel-powered government vehicles used by senior cabinet ministers and officials.

The government has held talks with Japanese car maker Nissan and leading United States electric vehicle manufacturer

"We want all government vehicles to become electric. We want the cabinet to start driving electric vehicles. We want tourists to start using electric vehicles whether they are cars or they are buses. And then if it works here we want to become a hotspot for electric vehicles so that we attract R&D here for cars, batteries, motors and the also for transforming transport cargo trucks into electric vehicles. A whole industry opens up. A whole spectrum of possibilities open and it begins with being environmentallyeets conscious and accepting that electric vehicles are good not just as and alternative but as a preferred choice," Tobgay said detailing the roadmap for the plan.

The aim is to kick off the programme by replacing 100 taxis and some government vehicles by February 21.

Tobgay has met Nissan CEO Carlos Gohn and a top executive from Tesla. The PM also extended an invitation to Mahindra & Mahindra chairman Anand Mahindra to partner and help Bhutan in it's ambitious bid.

"Mahindra does good business here. In India there isn't the incentive (for electric vehicles) in Bhutan there is. So, Mahindra is welcome. Tell him he has an open red carpet invitation," Tobgay said. Officials said that talks are on with Nissan for replacing some government vehicles in the first phase.

The bold experiment by the new government in Bhutan which took office in July is an attempt to reduce its costly fuel import bill and generate surplus funds to take care of it's desperate development needs.

A taxi on an average uses 800 ngultrum (800) worth of fuel but on electric vehicle the cost will come down to 7 to 10 ngultrum.