Iroshini Wijenayaka Head of Industry Development Committee – CMTA) introducing the panelists. Panel Dr. Harsha Subasinghe, founder of VEGA, Maricor Muzones, regional programme development lead for GGGI, Lalith De Alwis, additional secretary for the Ministry of Transport and Highways, Dr. Niles Perera, logistics specialist from the University of Moratuwa and. Yasendra Amerasinghe, immediate past Chairman of CMTA.
The Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) together with the Association of International Marketing Graduates in Sri Lanka (AIMG) recently organized a joint forum titled “Road to Electrification” at Jetwing Colombo, which delved into the future of the EV market in Sri Lanka.
With the participation of over 100 automotive industry experts, marketers, corporate leaders, executives, and professionals at the Forum, was aimed at initiating productive discussion within the community and imparting knowledge on the introduction of EV to the Sri Lankan market and its impact on the economy of Sri Lanka.
The speakers at the event included Dr. Harsha Subasinghe, founder of VEGA, the first electric super car made in Sri Lanka; Dr. Niles Perera, logistics specialist from the University of Moratuwa; Maricor Muzones, regional programme development lead for GGGI and Lalith De Alwis, additional secretary for the Ministry of Transport and Highways. Mr. Yasendra Amerasinghe, immediate past Chairman of CMTA and CEO of Carmart (Pvt) Ltd, served as the moderator.
A vibrant and thought-provoking panel discussion took place, with the speakers sharing their knowledge of technical expertise, environmental protection, and regulatory policy development requirements to embrace the EV age.
Dr. Subasinghe stated, “The future for electrically powered vehicles is very bright” and delved into the benefits and issues of EVs that we need to overcome. He further stressed the importance of charging networks and the exportation of charges to other countries, and he shared his wealth of experience on batteries, controllers. Speaking in terms of electricity generation, Dr. Subasinghe delved into SMR (small modular reactor) systems and the possibility of Sri Lanka adapting them.
Maricor Muzones spoke on GGGI, which is a treaty-based organization operating to get the principle of green growth in Sri Lanka. In her opinion, “Sri Lanka has put in many development policies, out of which the transport policy is now being reviewed for strengthening.”
De Alwis, as a Sri Lanka Government representative, stated, “Transport is the key factor to the economy, and there are guidelines being prepared for EV vehicles with the support of the UNDP.”
Dr. Niles stated that in transportation there is a lot of movement toward sustainable transportation, mentioning that EV is the fastest developing technology. The aim should be to move faster with better sustainable resources and in order to do that, it is important to look at the supply chains for electric vehicles, such as mining and so on. He also stated that “there should be a plan to train people, provide charging stations, and build other infrastructure to support electric mobility.” The event concluded with a question-and-answer session.
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