Automotive Design Workshop was held for the first time in the country on the Italian approach to transport design as well as the current Electric Vehicle (EV) market, its future prospects and how Bangladeshi-made designs can reach the global market. A few more sessions of this workshop will be held at different venues in Dhaka in the next few days. The week-long workshop is co-hosted by Xeno EV, Bangladesh Open Source Network and JaduPC.
The workshop held at the Bangladesh Open Source Network’s own office also discussed the Bangladesh government’s plans and proposed support for EV transport.
More than 200 people registered to participate in the workshop, out of which 50 were given the opportunity to participate in the workshop.
The workshop titled ‘Grand Touring EV Design’ was organized by Bangladeshi startup Xeno EV. The workshop was conducted by Fahim Hossain, founder of Xeno EV. Currently he is working as a professional automotive car designer in Turin, Italy. Previously he led several aircraft design projects for JetX US and Titan Air Mobility. He also worked for Chinese car manufacturer Chijet Motors for some time.
At the workshop, the Head of Commercial Strategy of ICT Divisipn-a2i Project, Rezwanul Haque Jami said that the government is currently preparing various policies with a special focus on electric vehicles. There are currently around 36 lakh EVs in the country. The government is planning to waive taxes on these vehicles in various cases.
Xeno EV Chairman AM Ishtiaq Sarwar said the EV market in Bangladesh is growing day by day and several domestic companies are already marketing their own EVs. There is a lot of potential for new ventures in the EV sector and such workshops will diversify the manufacturing of modern vehicles and the design of indigenous vehicles.
Masroor Hannan, co-founder of Xeno EV, said today’s workshop aims to build a community of GT designers in the country. He intends to organize more workshops with those interested in working in this sector in the future.
Aleem Al Raji, founder of Charging Bangladesh, who participated in the workshop, said that those working on EVs in the country are generally reluctant to share their knowledge. I applaud Xeno EV for coming forward to build a community in this sector. Another participant in the workshop, Technical Chief of BUET Automobile Club, Sahib Ur Rauf said that there are many opportunities to work together in the automobile sector of Bangladesh and their club is keen to work together with Xeno EV.
