The team.

NL|Mobility is a private owned company from the Netherlands. Core business is zero emission mobility. Founder Steef Korfker was the CEO of DOET (the Dutch Organization for Electric Transport) and also worked for the C40 project: the 40 biggest ports in the world, to reduce CO2 emission. At present he is the director of the Diplomatic Council E-Mobility forum. The founding president of Diplomatic Council, Mr Buddhi Athauda, introduced Sri Lanka to Korfker. This was an instant match. The two gentleman worked together very closely to combine western knowledge and Sri Lankan spirit for the good of the country's health- and economic position. Mr. Athauda still is the executive ambassador for this gamechanging project. Business partner Rob Heijtink is the driving force in the daily operation of the project and Theo de Jong, owner of the Frisian Motors company, developed an electric conversion kit for Tuk Tuks in close collaboration with the Rotterdam University HRO. Together, they've successfully selected business partners in the Netherlands, USA, China, Germany and Slovenia to make this project successful.

The team's view.

Sri Lanka is the pearl of the Indian ocean; it contains all the treasures you would expect from paradise: beautiful nature, plenty of sun, water and wind for renewable energy. Yet the air in the city of Colombo is polluted by old cars, -busses and the most common men’s transport mode: the three-wheeler, also known as Tuk Tuk. With the current state of technology and lessons learned in the west, we can help Sri Lanka skip a big step and move straight into E Mobility. Instead of looking in the earth for feedstock, we now look up and use the inexhaustible energy of solar- wind- and hydro power.

The deadly Cost of Air Pollution. 

Outdoor air pollution kills more than three million people across the world every year, and causes health problems from asthma to heart disease for many more. This is costing OECD societies plus People’s Republic of China and India an estimated USD 3.5 trillion dollars a year in terms of the value of lives lost and ill health, and the trend is rising. But how much of the cost of those deaths and health problems is due to pollution from cars, trucks and motorcycles on our roads? Initial evidence suggests that in OECD countries, road transport is likely responsible for about half the USD 1.7 trillion total. 

First Phase of Project

1. Sunglasses.  Most Sri Lankan Tuk Tuk operators suffer from secondary open-angle glaucoma and have an increased risk of getting Cataract. Both Eye-diseases caused by the sun. Wearing proper sunglasses would take care of this problem and will add many productive years to the live of this poor profession group. This project is about getting a pair of sunglasses for every operator of a two stroke Tuk Tuk taxi in Sri Lanka. Better sight means more income: step one to a better life.

For € 500.000, we can provide high quality UV sunglasses for 50.000 Tuk Tuk drivers. We are aiming to raise € 2.5M to provide 250.000 drivers glasses. 250.000 is the number of Tuk Tuks with a two stroke engine. This is the group we aim to help: because they are poor, they haven't been able to switch their old polluting two stroke three-wheeler to a cleaner four stroke version. The sunglasses campaign is the first improvement. At least the driver is able to see properly now. 

We're going electric! 

2. Converting Tuk Tuks to electric. In Sri Lanka there are 1 million Three-wheeler taxi's (the Tuk Tuk). Out of which 550.000 run in the greater Colombo area. 250.000 run with a Two Stroke engine. These vehicles create the biggest health hazard: two stroke engines produce a fine dust called "PM 2,5". PM stands for "Particulate Matter, the unit in which fine dust is measured. Normal tailpipe emission is PM10. PM 2,5 parts are so small that they will stick inside the lungs and cause diseases.

Sri Lanka, Eco Paradise: opportunities for everyone!

3. New electric eco-system. A Dutch / Sri Lankan collaboration provides a new eco system: importing conversion kits to make Tuk Tuks electric. Local job opportunities are created; assembling/ mounting the electric parts to existing three-wheelers. The cars will charge at night and run in the daytime. The operators will benefit from: better working conditions, less downtime by defective engine, better total cost of ownership.

For € 330.000 we can create a green zone of 50 E Tuk Tuks in one of the 15 area's in Colombo. Our target for this phase is 5M euros. We are offering sponsorship and adoption of 750 Tuk Tuks. Companies can name and add their logo to each Tuk Tuk and run commercials on a digital screen in every E Tuk Tuk. 

Scaling up the project 

50 converted Tuk Tuks in every area (750 in total)

• 1 charging station for 50 Tuk Tuks per area (15 total)
• A three year battery recycle program including free charging for the operators
• Adopt one driver. 
• We would like to give the opportunity to the guests of the all nations gala to adopt one driver and take care of all needs for changing to electric mobility. This will include annual reports of how the driver is doing and a special benefit for the driver, as this group will be presented to the Sri Lanka government and will be ambassadors to the electrification project for the years to come. 

Together we can support Sri Lanka to be an eco-paradise while helping thousands of individual drivers. Once project has been achieved we can consider future operations across the rest of South East Asia.

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