Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today said an estimated 50-80 lakh battery-powered auto-rickshaws and similar electric three-wheelers are putting significant pressure on the national grid and causing annual revenue losses of nearly Tk 4,000 crore.
Speaking in parliament this afternoon, he said the vehicles provide affordable transport and livelihoods for millions of people, but their rapid and largely unregulated growth has created serious challenges for electricity management, road safety, environmental protection, public health and regulatory oversight.
Responding to a notice under section 71 of the Rules of Procedure from Rehana Akhter Ranu MP on regulating the uncontrolled movement of auto-rickshaws, the minister said battery-powered auto-rickshaws, easy bikes and similar electric three-wheelers had become an important part of urban and rural transport over the past decade.
Their relatively low fares, easy availability and suitability for short-distance travel have made them an important mode of daily transport, he said. The sector has also created a broad informal economy, supporting drivers, owners, garage operators, mechanics, battery and spare-parts traders, charging service providers and small entrepreneurs.
However, the simultaneous charging of large numbers of vehicles is placing heavy loads on local distribution systems, with unauthorised or residential electricity connections being used for commercial purposes, Salahuddin said.
This increases transformer stress, raises peak demand and causes disruptions to electricity supply.
He also highlighted the environmental and health risks associated with unsafe handling and informal recycling of lead-acid batteries. Such practices contaminate soil and water and pose serious health risks to children and workers, while emissions from the recycling process pollute the air and affect nearby poultry industries.
An estimated 50-80 lakh electric three-wheelers consume about 5 percent of the country's total electricity generation daily, he said. Against this demand, there are only around 3,300 legal charging points, while more than 48,000 informal and illegal charging points operate in Dhaka alone.
“This results in significant pressure on the national grid and causes annual revenue losses of nearly Tk 4,000 crore,” he added.
The minister also pointed to road safety concerns, including unregistered vehicles, untrained drivers, faulty designs, weak braking and lighting systems, excessive speed and the presence of slow-moving vehicles on highways.
In 2025, 6,729 road accidents caused 911 deaths and injured 14,812 people. Battery-powered auto-rickshaws were involved in 13.4 percent of these accidents, he said.
Accordingly, unauthorised battery-powered auto-rickshaws have been banned from major roads in the capital. The traffic divisions of Dhaka Metropolitan Police are conducting regular drives, detaining and dumping illegal vehicles and taking legal action. Joint operations with the Dhaka Power Distribution Company are also targeting garages using illegal electricity connections.
The government has initiated policy formulation to bring auto-rickshaw operations under regulation, Salahuddin said. Once approved, authorised vehicles will be identifiable through number plates and QR codes, while drivers will be registered and provided with training for licensing.
The measures will enable regulation of vehicle registration, designated routes, driver control, traffic management and enforcement, he said.
The minister said the rules and policy had already been drafted. The proposed conditions include designated routes, a ban on major roads and measures to protect employment.
Environmentally safe batteries will also be made mandatory, while digital tracking linked to registration numbers will be introduced to prevent multiple vehicles from operating under a single number.
