Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-07-12

Promoting the use of Electric Vehicles in Sri Lanka

- According to the data of the Department of Motor Traffic, the number of registered motor vehicles in Sri Lanka by the end of the year 2020 has exceeded 8 million. A considerable portion of vehicles out of which are older than 10 years and it has been identified that improper maintenance of such old vehicles resulted in toxic gas emissions. The University of Moratuwa and few other Institutions have confirmed through their researches that 60% of air pollution in Sri Lanka is caused by motor vehicles. Attention has also been drawn to the use of renewable energy for running vehicles since the expeditious implementation of renewable energy projects is one of the first priorities of the Government. As such, the proposal made by the Minister of Environment to prepare a strategic plan to promote the use of electrical vehicles in Sri Lanka, was approved by the Cabinet.