Bangladesh is aiming to achieve 30% electric vehicle (EV) penetration across all transport modes by 2030 under the proposed Electric Vehicle Industry Development Policy 2026.
To advance that goal, the Ministry of Industries, in collaboration with GIZ Bangladesh, held a stakeholder consultation workshop on Thursday to develop a roadmap for the country's EV industry.
The consultation focused on strengthening the country's industrial and regulatory framework to help achieve the target set out in the Electric Motor Registration and Operation Guideline 2023.
Participants discussed policy reforms, regulatory measures, and infrastructure requirements needed to accelerate the country's transition to electric mobility. Road transport accounts for 81% of Bangladesh's transport sector emissions, making the shift to EVs both an environmental and economic priority.
Speaking at the workshop, Industries Secretary Abdun Naser Khan said Bangladesh must prepare now to avoid missing out on a rapidly emerging industrial sector.
"If Bangladesh fails to prepare adequately today, we will not only miss out on an emerging industrial sector, but also risk falling behind in the Global Value Chain (GVC)," he said.
"Our target is not merely to become an importer of electric vehicles. Our ultimate goal is to establish Bangladesh as an EV manufacturing nation."
Representing German Development Cooperation, German Embassy Deputy Head of Cooperation Jannis Hussain and GIZ Bangladesh Country Director Mark Gombert reaffirmed Germany's continued support for Bangladesh's transition to sustainable mobility.
Under the Transition to Sustainable E-Mobility (Trans2SMo) project, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ, the Ministry of Industries is receiving technical and advisory support in formulating the EV policy.
As part of the initiative, GIZ engaged national and international experts to review the draft policy and recommend measures to strengthen the legal, institutional, and administrative framework needed to build a standards-compliant EV ecosystem.
The workshop also discussed the readiness of Bangladesh's electricity infrastructure, a key factor in expanding electric mobility. According to data presented at the event, the national power grid is capable of supporting a large-scale EV transition, although low-carbon sources accounted for around 2% of the country's electricity generation in 2025.
Officials said the transition would be supported through targeted grid planning, smart charging protocols, and the phased deployment of smart grid technologies to maintain grid stability and avoid electricity shortages.
To encourage EV adoption and infrastructure development, the Power Division and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) are working on a range of fiscal and regulatory incentives aimed at attracting public and private investment.
Under the proposed policy, the total tax incidence (TTI) on imported completely built-up (CBU) electric motorcars would be fixed at 37% until 2030. EVs imported in completely knocked-down (CKD) condition across all categories would enjoy a 15.25% TTI until 2035 to encourage local assembly and manufacturing.
The draft policy also proposes a 10-year income tax exemption for institutions establishing EV charging stations to support the nationwide expansion of charging infrastructure.
The workshop concluded with a call for continued coordination among the Ministry of Industries, the Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, the Road Transport and Highways Division, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the National Board of Revenue, the Local Government Division, and other stakeholders to implement the technical, industrial, and administrative measures needed to develop Bangladesh's EV industry.
Additional Secretary (Policy, Law and International Cooperation) AKM Benjamin Riazi and Additional Secretary (Administration) Md Nuruzzaman of the Ministry of Industries also addressed the workshop, which was attended by representatives of the automotive industry, climate experts, and international development partners.
