THIMPHU –听As night sets in, Dorji Wangchuk plugs his听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听car into a charging station, then听蝉迟补谤迟s thumbing his rosary and mumbling prayers while he waits the half hour before he can continue driving his taxi around听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s capital, Thimphu.
He swapped his petrol taxi for an听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听惫别丑颈肠濒别听(EV) last year through a project that aims to put 300 battery-powered cabs on the road by September as part of the tiny Himalayan kingdom’s commitment to keep down its already low carbon emissions.
After seven months of driving his new taxi, which he bought helped by a subsidy and a collateral-free bank loan, Wangchuk, 47, said he is already seeing the benefits, especially as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent fuel prices soaring.
He used to earn up to 60,000 ngultrum ($775) a month driving his old taxi, he said. Now, with the savings he makes on聽聽– because听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars have fewer moving parts – he brings home twice as much.
“Driving an EV is much better. I don’t have to worry about changing gears and the car is comfortable too,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I am even getting good reviews from my passengers.”
After a bumpy听蝉迟补谤迟聽in 2019, with COVID-19 lockdowns delaying car imports from countries like China, Japan and India,听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听taxi rollout is finally kicking into gear, said Sonam Tobgye, who manages the $3-million project.
Including the 129听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听迟补虫颈蝉听that have so far been bought through the program – a figure that has risen seven-fold since last November – there are about 260听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars either on order or already being driven around听叠丑耻迟补苍, he said.
That makes up only about 0.2% of all听惫别丑颈肠濒别s in the country.
But Tobgye said the idea is to听蝉迟补谤迟聽small and gradually build up orders until the government reaches its goal of having听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars make up 70% of all new car sales by 2035.
“The 300听迟补虫颈蝉听will be the ambassadors,” he said. “We expect them to showcase (the听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars) and build a level of confidence and trust in EVs. Then we expect the rest to follow.”
This is not听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s first attempt to get its citizens to ditch their gas guzzlers.
A fledgling聽听蝉迟补濒濒别诲听soon after its 2014 launch due to a combination of high purchase costs, limited charging and servicing infrastructure, and low public trust in the technology.
Some industry experts and consumers warn those same challenges could once again slam the brakes on听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听dreams.
HOW LOW CAN YOUR CARBON GO?
With about three-quarters of its land mass covered in trees and strong political will to limit planet-warming emissions,听叠丑耻迟补苍聽already absorbs more carbon each year than it produces, making it one of the world’s few聽.
The听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠-taxi initiative is one of a raft of measures the government is taking to meet its pledge to ensure its聽聽for all time.
Under听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s previous听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听car campaign, an import tax exemption was not enough to convince people to swap to battery-powered听惫别丑颈肠濒别s, so this latest programme – co-financed by the U.N.-backed Global Environment Facility – offers taxi owners more incentives.
Eligible applicants get 20% of the cost of their new cab as a direct cash subsidy, along with a low-interest loan from the Bank of听叠丑耻迟补苍聽for 70% of the purchase price, leaving the owner only 10% to pay upfront.
According to estimates by the organisers, the project could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43,000 tonnes over nine years, the average lifespan of a fuel-run taxi.
Encouraging听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s drivers to go听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听will move the country a long way toward reaching its green goals, said Kinley Dorji, who heads the environmental management programme at Royal Thimphu College.
“Studies have shown that the EV听迟补虫颈蝉听are very sustainable,” he said. “By replacing only 300 fossil fuel-based听迟补虫颈蝉听with EVs, the impacts will be minimal. However, this is a very good听蝉迟补谤迟.”
With most of听叠丑耻迟补苍‘s听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠ity generated by hydropower, considered a clean energy source, government data shows transport is the highest contributor to the country’s carbon emissions.
Cars, trucks and other听惫别丑颈肠濒别s are responsible for more than 45% of the energy-related greenhouse gases听叠丑耻迟补苍聽produces, according to the information ministry.
CHARGING WORRIES
While听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars save money in the long run, taxi drivers say most听叠丑耻迟补苍ese are still put off by how much they cost to buy.
Outside of the taxi pilot project, the price of conventional cars ranges from 600,000 to 800,000 ngultrum, while the听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听versions cost three times as much.
“Because the whole EV thing is new in听叠丑耻迟补苍, it has people worried,” said project manager Tobgye, adding that the government is running awareness campaigns to bust misconceptions about听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听cars and promote their benefits.
The project is also tackling another concern that is holding back orders:听叠丑耻迟补苍‘蝉听.
When the project launched, there were only five charging stations in two districts, Thimphu and Paro. Since then, the government has added another 28 across seven districts, with more on the way.
Private听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听car dealers looking to meet their corporate social responsibility targets have also been placing charging points around the country, he added.
For now, all charging stations are free to use. Whether they stay that way “depends on the uptake of the EVs”, said Tobgye, noting that if the market grows fast, EV users will likely have to听蝉迟补谤迟聽paying for the power they use.
When Tshering Tashi bought his听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听taxi through the project last year, he was motivated by the savings.
But the dearth of charging stations has him worried he may have made the switch too soon, before听叠丑耻迟补苍聽was fully prepared for an听别濒别肠迟谤颈肠听car revolution.
“The charging stations available today are enough for the number of EVs that are on the road, but we don’t know what the situation will be if there are more EVs later on,” he said.
“We may lose customers to other听迟补虫颈蝉听while we wait in line to charge our cars.” – Reuters
