Green-coloured number plates for electric vehicles were launched in Thimphu on Thursday.
According to the UNDP Bhutan, the move is expected to be a low-cost way of encouraging wider public to switch to electric vehicles to beat air pollution and keep Bhutan carbon negative.
The launch of the green registration plates was graced by Yab Dasho Dondup Gyaltshen.
The initiative, meanwhile, is a part of a project being implemented by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) in partnership with UNDP Bhutan and funding support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The project is aimed at promoting low emission urban transport system, where the UNDP is supporting Bhutan in its efforts to transition to electric vehicles to cut down on fossil fuel emissions.
The initiative aims to have 300 taxi operators trade in their fossil-fueled vehicles to electric ones within three years.
Through the initiative, Bhutan estimates that it will reduce carbon emissions by 93,000 tonnes over the life time of the vehicle.
Through the taxi sector, the Bhutan Sustainable Low-emission Urban Transport Systems project is expected to pave the way for a wide-scale switch from fossil-fueled cars to electric vehicles in the country.
According to Project Manager Phub Gyeltshen from MoIC, they are looking at rolling out 80 EV taxis by the end of this year, 100 more in 2020 and another 120 in 2021.This would be a four-fold increase in the number of EV taxis from 99 today to 399 by the end of the project period.
With a US$3 million support from the GEF, the Bhutan Sustainable Low-emission Urban Transport System project is implemented by the MoIC with support from UNDP Bhutan.
Tshering from Thimphu
