Because fuel prices went up, the per-kilometre cost of fossil-fuel cars will rise. Even though, with an ecosystem of electric cars and renewable energy, the per-km cost can be brought down a lot. Still, it will hurt.
A motorcycle runs about 90 km on 1 litre. Fuel is now 130 taka. So per km costs 1.44 taka.
A private car running 25 km per litre costs 5.4 taka per km.
Palki's electric car has a 4.5 kWh battery. Counting energy loss, one full charge costs 93 taka if charged on a commercial line at 13 taka per unit. The car runs 100 km with AC. That is 0.93 taka per km. If you charge at home at 7 taka per unit, it is 0.44 taka per km.
Now imagine 5,000 Palki mini cars run in Dhaka, and we charge all the batteries with solar. Then I need a 27 megawatt solar system.
A 27 megawatt solar system, with two sets of lithium iron phosphate batteries. A huge cost. But think about it — it is possible.
Even if an electric car costs 93 paisa per km, that is less than a motorcycle. And if a solar farm sells electricity as an IPP at 13 taka per unit, the plant breaks even in 6 years, the battery in 3.
A bankable business model, the car runs cheap, and 5,000 fossil-fuel cars are removed from the environment.
The government has a green fund, IDCOL has low-interest loans, there is clean-tech venture capital. In this hard time for the world, I believe renewable energy and electric cars can play a good role.