First electric tuk tuk on Dutch roads

According to a joint press release (PDF) issued by all organisations involved, a fleet of electric tuk tuks will gradually appear on the roads of three major Dutch cities The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, as of July 1st. Rotterdam is already prepared and has two charging stations available, while Amsterdam will have one ready by June at its main train station. The Hague has "plans" to install charging points "this year".

The current petrol-fuelled tuk tuks can be easily retrofitted into electric-powered ones, according to Tuk Tuk Company. The company currently has forty tuk tuks on the roads and aims to 'electrify' its entire fleet before 2010.

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) calculated that one electric tuk tuk cuts CO2 emissions by 1.75 tonnes annually.

The electric tuk tuks will mostly be found at major railway stations to bridge the last two to five kilometres that commuters need to cover between train station and final destination. However, Tuk Tuk Company will not exclusively move people around in its electric tuk tuks; it will also offer small-scale transportation of goods.

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Related web sources

• Minister Cramer geeft startsein elektrische Tuk Tuk - press release (Dutch, PDF)
• Cramer stelt electrische tuk tuks in gebruik- press release (Dutch)