Gas based auto rickshaws in Colombo

The German embassy has lent support to a project by a Sri Lankan company Alliance Finance Company PLC to run auto rickshaws or tuk-tuks powered by eco-friendly natural gas in Colombo. Gas conversion units for auto rickshaws were introduced by Alliance Finance in 2010. Now it has collaborated with Eco-Tuk, a Dutch company, to improve the efficiency of the gas based engines. The gas based vehicles are more fuel-efficient and discharge about 30% lesser emissions compared to petrol vehicles. Further, due to the lower cost of the gas, drivers will be able to save quite a bit on fuel. The project has been launched by the German government through GermanyHelpingHands, an organisation that has been involved in German ? Sri Lana projects for the last 50 years. The gas vehicles could create a business model for the Sri Lankan tuk-tuk industry that would be environment friendly while providing people a decent source of livelihood.