Locally assembled electric cars to hit streets soon

[TopCat]

Nitol Motors is set to come with a locally-assembled electric vehicle by next year, in yet another big stride for Bangladesh's fledgling automotive industry.

An electric vehicle uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs instead of fossil fuel to propel it.

Globally, electric car market share is on the rise: at the end of 2018 it stood at 4.6 percent, almost double from what it was in 2017, according to the Centre of Automotive Management (CAM), a German research and consultancy institute.

China has the leading position in electric car use, followed by the US, Norway, Japan and the UK. By 2025, one-fourth of all new registrations will be made of electric cars, according to CAM.

Nitol's model, which will be called Suvare, will be the size and feel of regular cars and will cost about Tk 12 lakh, said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, chairman of Nitol-Niloy Group. The maximum speed of the car will be 150 kilometres (km) per hour.

“I have set a target to bring the car to market by March 2020,” he said, adding that the venture is in partnership with one American and two Chinese companies.

He, however, declined to name his foreign partners. The vehicles will be assembled at a plant spanning 10 acres in Pabna, the construction for which has already started. Soon, capital machinery will be imported.

The plant, which will cost Tk 350 crore, will have the capacity to assemble 20,000 units per year. Initially, about 5,000 units of only one model will be assembled.

Nitol Motors follows the lead of state-run Pragati Industries, PHP Family and Hyundai Motors in setting up assembly plants in Bangladesh.

The company has set up a research and development centre in the capital's Uttara, where designs for the car and other components are being developed with the mechanical department of the Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology.

“We will import components of the cars, so it will not take us long to bring the car to market.”

The major bottleneck would be to get the EVs registered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) as there is no rule or policy for this new form of vehicle.

At present, BRTA gives registration on the basis of the engine of a car. Since EVs derive all power from battery packs they do not have any internal combustion engine, fuel cell or fuel tank.

With half an hour's charge Suvare can run 200 km, according to Ahmad.

The battery capacity will be 25 kilowatt per hour and it will cost only Tk 170 to fully charge it each time as per present power tariff.

“So, Suvare will be very cost-effective and environmentally friendly,” Ahmad said, adding that the car can be charged at home with a fast-charging plug system.

The battery's lifetime will be at least six years. In the near future EV owners can go for long drives as fast-charging stations will be set up at refilling stations along the highway.

In 2017, the car market size in Bangladesh hit Tk 5,000 crore, according to industry insiders.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/locally-assembled-electric-cars-hit-streets-soon-1692118
@bluesky

 

[Bilal9]

Let me make the first comment!

Ei shongbad Mittha, Banoat ebong Vittihin. (This news is fraudulent,misleading and baseless)

Mosalman-ra technology'r toiry ba babohar bojhey na - eta shobai khub bhaloi janey. (That Muslims don't know how to use or make technology is well-known).

On a more serious note - great news.

 

[HariPrasad]

It is very pleasing to hear good news about BD. It is hardly in news for any wrong news lake many Muslim Countries. There was a time before few years when it seemed that BD will fail but hates off to Hasina who lead BD on the path of progress and now BD makes headlines for good news only. Keep it up BD. Sub continent was the most prosperous part of the earth and we deserve that position once again. My best wishes to BD.

 

[bd_4_ever]

This is a super news! To be more successful however, the challenge would be to create acceptance among users. Sustainability is a hot topic in Europe and all facets of administrations are connected to reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Issue is in Bangladesh, its not that a big topic. But its good to see someone taking the first step. It has to start somewhere and I hope more and more people would get interested in it. All this, notwithstanding, the quality of the car though. Have to see how it performs first and foremost.

 

[bluesky]

Nitol's model, which will be called Suvare, will be the size and feel of regular cars and will cost about Tk 12 lakh, said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, chairman of Nitol-Niloy Group. The maximum speed of the car will be 150 kilometres (km) per hour.

“I have set a target to bring the car to market by March 2020,” he said, adding that the venture is in partnership with one American and two Chinese companies.

As far as I remember Matlub Ahmad is the Nitol guy who was talking about building a car manufacturing factory in a joint venture with an Indian company only in October last year. So, what happened to that project?

Now, he is again with another stupid unfounded project and he wants it to market in 2020. As I always say the people of BD with peasant DNA are incapable of making even a simple schedule. It is already 2019 and he has not yet erected the first column of his solemn factory, but he is talking about marketing his cars in 2020.

Is it possible that this Nitol guy is also trying to attract the attention of Haseena, another 21st Century champion Chapabaz?

 

[Mage]

Will we ever manufacture cars in Bangladesh? We should seriously look to manufacturing automobiles. Mahathir believed Malaysia needed to manufacture cars in the early stage of economic boom and it developed Proton. Which became very successful. And here we are, still talking about assembling.

 

[TopCat]

Will we ever manufacture cars in Bangladesh? We should seriously look to manufacturing automobiles. Mahathir believed Malaysia needed to manufacture cars in the early stage of economic boom and it developed Proton. Which became very successful. And here we are, still talking about assembling.

Basically MY had a strong road network which is absent in BD. Car market is very small to invest big time in BD. Govt should relax tax rule so that the market gets expanded first.

 

[Mage]

Basically MY had a strong road network which is absent in BD. Car market is very small to invest big time in BD. Govt should relax tax rule so that the market gets expanded first.

Basically BD needs to get rid of Rickshaws. And improve the road structure. Keep tax on foreign imported cars. That will help local manufacturers when they start manufacturing. But it doesn't seem like BD will start manufacturing in a decade or two.

 

[bluesky]

Basically MY had a strong road network which is absent in BD. Car market is very small to invest big time in BD. Govt should relax tax rule so that the market gets expanded first.

If the tax rates are lowered certain cities of the country will face more traffic congestion. Road networks need to be expanded before taxes are reduced otherwise it will just cause more traffic jams.

 

[TopCat]

Basically BD needs to get rid of Rickshaws. And improve the road structure. Keep tax on foreign imported cars. That will help local manufacturers when they start manufacturing. But it doesn't seem like BD will start manufacturing in a decade or two.

Rickshaws are no more a problem.. they are getting extinct day by day.

 

[Nilgiri]

But it doesn't seem like BD will start manufacturing in a decade or two.

Thats pretty pessimistic. Some things will definitely be happening in next 5 years just due to raw BD population size....electric vehicles will also be much more modular compared to conventional which will help get by the ridiculous excise duty structures BD imposes currently.

If the tax rates are lowered certain cities of the country will face more traffic congestion. Road networks need to be expanded before taxes are reduced otherwise it will just cause more traffic jams.

Better way is to reduce the taxes and impose city restrictions from that end.

Killing production side through early govt intervention there is frankly pretty stupid (compared to end use legislation that actually targets the issue of congestion)....but maybe it makes sense for BAL to keep a uni-dimensional economy for political control reasons.

 

[mb444]

Will we ever manufacture cars in Bangladesh? We should seriously look to manufacturing automobiles. Mahathir believed Malaysia needed to manufacture cars in the early stage of economic boom and it developed Proton. Which became very successful. And here we are, still talking about assembling.

BD do not have petrodollars... our progression will be slower than malaysia.

 

[Bilal9]

Have to see how it performs first and foremost.

Full torque from zero (For electric models like Tesla) is a whole other world that a piston engine doesn’t stand a chance against....

Mechanical efficiency for electrical cars are many times more superior than a car with internal combustion engine, the transmission being the main culprit as well as the design of the reciprocating pistons to transfer power to the shaft.

Tesla (made in California), does a 3.3-second zero-to-60-mph several times, until it senses the car's power-train will be damaged and slows down to protect itself. A lot of the functions are computerized, including the ability of the car to self-drive in certain situations with multiple AI enabled sensors, as well as communicate with the manufacturer to schedule its own maintenance, among other AI-based capabilities.

Mahathir believed Malaysia needed to manufacture cars in the early stage of economic boom and it developed Proton. Which became very successful.

Actually the National Car project Proton have perpetually bled money and had to be bailed out several times and merged with Perodua, the other Malaysian car brand. The latest saga is that Geely holdings from China was given 49.9 percent of Proton and they will be producing some parts in China and supplying Proton.

You are right in that early on like a couple of decades ago, as a sole supplier to the Malaysian market (using Mitsubishi's mechanicals), it did have a high rate of success.

http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/proton-bailout-marks-end-era

 

[Anubis]

Thats pretty pessimistic. Some things will definitely be happening in next 5 years just due to raw BD population size....electric vehicles will also be much more modular compared to conventional which will help get by the ridiculous excise duty structures BD imposes currently.



Better way is to reduce the taxes and impose city restrictions from that end.

Killing production side through early govt intervention there is frankly pretty stupid (compared to end use legislation that actually targets the issue of congestion)....but maybe it makes sense for BAL to keep a uni-dimensional economy for political control reasons.

Taxes are easier to enforce and earns them money...city restrictions are harder to enforce and will cost them money.

 

[Nilgiri]

Taxes are easier to enforce and earns them money

It really doesnt heh...maybe short term....but factor in all the costs and long term stuff lost...its a big negative on something so vital for BD. Its worth it for BD to fix its delivery based end-solutions rather than tolerate these "greater good" premature cut-off easy fixes of govt. It grants too much slippery slope for them to exploit on things more broadly too.