Transforming clean urban transport in Bangladesh

A startup is making urban mobility safe, efficient, and affordable with its innovative battery-swap technology

Spotted: Around 112 million people use electric three-wheelers every day in Bangladesh, and improving the efficiency and affordability of these vehicles – as well as the accompanying infrastructure – is essential to strengthen the country’s green urban mobility.

Currently, inadequate charging stations, waiting times for charging, and the high up-front costs of batteries pose continued issues for Bangladeshi citizens. Hoping to turn this around is local startup Tiger New Energy (TNE), which is setting a new standard in urban mobility with its innovative batteries and swapping technology.

In a country-wide first, Tiger has launched a network of stations where rickshaw drivers can quickly swap out depleted e-batteries for fully charged ones, drastically reducing the previous four-hour-long downtime and boosting the earnings of drivers by 60 per cent. These stations are designed to keep running even during power outages, with infrastructure that doubles as a Decentralized Energy Storage System (DESS) to enhance grid stability. 

The company has also chosen to use higher energy density LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) batteries, which are safer in hot climates like Bangladesh’s and perform better overall compared to conventional lead-acid batteries. Although initially more expensive than lead-acid cells, the longer lifespan of LFP lowers costs in the long run, allowing TNE to offer affordable services with no upfront costs.

Tiger recently received $1 million in funding from ADB Ventures building on the $2.5 million seed round led by Wavemaker Partners that the startup completed last year. With this investment, Tiger hopes to fast-track the expansion of its battery-swapping network and further its mission to promote clean mobility and deliver significant socio-economic benefits to Bangladesh.

Written By: Georgia King