According to the latest disclosure by Bangladesh's traffic management authorities in 2025, the number of electric tricycles in the country has surged from 200,000 in previous years to 4 million, making them a core tool for short-distance freight transport and residents' travel in cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong.

Since 2007, unregulated small workshops have quickly sensed business opportunities. After retrofitting these vehicles with electric motors and lead-acid batteries, they have spread rapidly by virtue of their advantages of low cost and high speed.

For low-income workers, electric tricycles are a tangible tool for making a living. The daily income of rickshaw pullers has increased from 200 taka (during the era of manual rickshaws) to over 1,500 taka today. This significant income growth has allowed countless families to sustain their livelihoods, which also keeps the demand for electric tricycles strong—making them neither stoppable nor avoidable.

Chinese manufacturing has penetrated deep into the "capillaries" of Bangladesh. Electric tricycles on the streets of Dhaka, 90% of mobile phones, and even solar panels in Rohingya refugee camps all come from China. This is particularly evident in the battery sector: 70% of lead-acid batteries are produced in China, and enterprises such as CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited) and BYD hold a 50% market share locally.

The overseas expansion of Chinese electric tricycle enterprises should not merely be the export of products and technologies, but more importantly, they should become cooperative partners that help solve the local industry's predicaments. Tiger New Energy, a startup, has installed battery swapping cabinets in communities, allowing rickshaw pullers to replace lithium batteries through a subscription model and avoid exposure to lead pollution. Regardless of whether the draft policy can eventually be implemented, the progress of standardizing Bangladesh's electric tricycle market continues.