EV demand rises, but charging and support networks lag behind
Bangladesh’s EV Market Accelerates While Essential Support Systems Catch Up
Bdbusinessdaily.com – Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles are drawing growing interest in Bangladesh as households, businesses and corporate buyers look for lower operating costs and cleaner transport options. Yet the market’s progress is being restrained by a familiar set of obstacles: limited public charging, expensive infrastructure investment, uneven after-sales support and unresolved questions about battery recycling.
Vehicle registration began in September 2022, but sales momentum became more visible in 2025. The change is now reflected not only in showroom visits but also in the kind of questions potential buyers ask before making a decision.
Buyers Look Beyond the First EV Questions
BYD Bangladesh has delivered more than 1,400 vehicles, including fully electric and plug-in hybrid models, while operating seven flagship showrooms. It sold about 500 new-energy vehicles in 2025, equal to an average of roughly 42 units each month.
Average monthly sales rose to around 160 vehicles in 2026, nearly four times the previous year’s pace, said Amid Sakif Khan, managing director of BYD Bangladesh. He said demand is no longer limited to early adopters, with families, commercial users and corporate customers increasingly entering the market.
Lower running costs and greater concern about environmental impacts are helping broaden that appeal. For consumers, however, the purchase decision still involves much more than the price of the vehicle. Charging availability, financing, tax treatment, battery durability, repair options and likely resale value remain central considerations.
Mohammad Saiful Islam Tushar, marketing lead at DHS Autos, the exclusive distributor of Changan Automobile’s Deepal electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, said customer conversations have evolved. Earlier enquiries focused on charging, battery performance and whether an EV could be driven outside Dhaka. Buyers are now more focused on warranties, service quality, ownership expenses and future value.
“Consumer confidence remains the biggest barrier, alongside vehicle prices, financing, taxation, charging access, battery life and resale prospects.”
For residents of apartment buildings, installing a private charger can be difficult because of building restrictions or challenges obtaining an electrical connection. Long-distance travel creates another concern: drivers need dependable chargers on highways and in destinations beyond the major cities.
Charging Expansion Faces a Cost-and-Usage Gap
Public charging coverage is expanding, but the number of EVs on the road is still too small for many operators to recover large upfront investments quickly. Sakif said about 30 public stations capable of charging BYD vehicles have been set up across Bangladesh.
CrackPlatoon Charging Solutions operates 32 public charging units, 241 private units and 335 residential installations. Its network is concentrated mainly in Dhaka and Chattogram, with further locations in Cumilla, Narayanganj and Gazipur.
The company logged 1,972 charging sessions in 2026, using 33.73 megawatt-hours of electricity. That marked a sizeable increase from 461 sessions and 11.88 megawatt-hours in 2025. Daily use of direct-current chargers rose to three sessions on average from 0.8, while alternating-current chargers increased to 0.57 daily sessions from 0.23.
Even with that growth, charger utilisation remains modest. A 120kW DC charger in Cumilla recorded a 1.203% usage ratio in 2026, compared with 0.300% in 2025. The figures illustrate the difficult balance facing investors: charging networks are needed to make buyers feel confident, but operators need far more vehicles on the road before stations become financially attractive.
Engr Abu Mosaeb Khan, head of operations at CrackPlatoon, said a standard 120kW public charging station costs roughly Tk70 lakh. Commercial returns commonly require five to seven years or even longer. If usage reached 30% to 50%, the payback period could drop to less than two years.
About 70% of total investment can be consumed by substations, grid links, cabling and related electrical work, he said. Demand charges and regulatory approvals add further cost, encouraging companies to expand cautiously until charging demand is strong enough to support new sites.
More Stations, But Not Yet a Nationwide Safety Net
Ekhon Charge’s Tejgaon facility served three to four vehicles a day in 2026, up from four to five vehicles a week in 2025. Much of its traffic comes from plug-in hybrid models, including the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda C9, along with BMW and Mercedes vehicles.
Ekhon Charge currently operates four points in Tejgaon, Cumilla, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. Safi Ar Rahman, the company’s EV activation executive, said the government’s zero-tax policy for imported EV chargers could reduce equipment costs. The company intends to expand to Panchagarh, Khulna and Sylhet, with a goal of nationwide coverage within 1.5 to two years through chargers ranging from 120kW to 180kW.
A wider network would matter especially for motorists considering trips between cities. Home charging may cover much of a driver’s routine use, but reliable public chargers are essential when routes are longer, schedules are tight or private charging is unavailable.
Service Capacity Must Grow With Sales
Charging is only one part of the ownership experience. Modern EVs require technicians trained in high-voltage systems, battery management and software-based components. Without a sufficient network of qualified workshops and readily available spare parts, even interested buyers may delay a purchase.
BYD has five service centres and two spare-parts dealer partners. Sakif said the company plans to add service locations and roadside technicians as the customer base grows.
The next phase of Bangladesh’s EV transition will depend on whether the supporting ecosystem can develop at the same pace as demand. More vehicles create a stronger business case for charging providers, while more chargers and service options can persuade hesitant consumers that an electric vehicle is practical beyond city driving. Battery recycling and long-term maintenance systems will also become increasingly important as the fleet expands.
For now, the market is moving forward, but the speed of adoption will be shaped as much by charging access and customer support as by the vehicles themselves.
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