In Tangail, Bangladesh, entrepreneurship is not something most women would endeavour. Many prefer to leave homes for the capital to work as garment factory workers. Twenty-nine-year-old Jorna Begum however, made a different choice, although it was a choice she did not foresee either.
Having to take care of her family and spend a lot of her time on daily chores, she found herself with increasingly less time to keep her small grocery shop open for long hours. The shop has been running for four years in front of the house she lives in with her husband and children, but Jorna could only open it for half a day during the past two years due to lack of time, reducing her income.
As she was looking for an additional income to continue supporting her family and children's education, Jorna found an unexpected solution. A local company that runs a rentable battery network had just started operating in Tangail. It offered local women to become part of the network by being franchisees who own and manage the company's solar-powered battery-swapping cabinets.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recommends policy support for innovative business models for electric two- and three-wheelers as one of the measures to enable and accelerate the electrification of road transport in developing countries. For a country that sees over 6 million electric three-wheelers or tuk-tuks on the street, Bangladesh makes the right market for battery-swapping business model. "I see hundreds of electric tuk-tuks in my village. Even I am using it daily to take my children to school," Jorna said.
Innovative business models, including battery-leasing and battery-swapping, can address the high upfront costs issue and reduce consumers' concerns over battery maintenance or degradation. So when the opportunity came to her, Jorna took it and immediately became one of the company's micro energy entrepreneurs' within two days.
"I admit for me personally, arranging for the upfront investment for the battery swapping cabinet was quite difficult. But thanks to my family's support, I managed to pay it and then pay the rest in instalments," she explained.
Video Credit: Cassetex
The company's swapping hubs allow electric vehicle (EV) drivers to exchange used batteries with new ones from a shared network while empowering women-led micro energy entrepreneurs in doing so.
The EV drivers receive training from the company on how to operate the lithium-ion battery, the swapping cabinet, and mobile application. They pay the cabinets owners through the company's secure mobile application.
For the cabinets owners, they receive training on operating the mobile app. As the electric tuk-tuk drivers swap batteries from their cabinets, the owners can see their electricity expenses and daily revenues on the mobile app.
Such low cost and low maintenance operation makes the perfect solution for Jorna. "Being a woman with very limited education, I was not sure how I could manage the daily revenue on the application, but all I have to do is place the swapping cabinet in front of my shop. It is fully automatic, so I just leave it there without having to wait on the customers. The calculations on the company's mobile app are automatic, too. The daily revenue goes directly to my mobile wallet which allows instant withdrawal at any time," she said.
Because of the practical solution and the impact of women entrepreneurship, Cassetex, the start-up company which produces the cabinets, has won the IRENA Rising Stars Award 2025, which is part of the 3rd IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator (NewGen) programme.
The reliable electricity from the solar-powered cabinets does not only benefit Jorna, but also her customers. The frequent, hour-long power cuts from the national grids make conventional plug-in charging method impossible. "But my customers are happy as the battery gets charged by solar energy continuously in the swapping cabinet," she added.
With her grocery shop open for 24/7 and her battery swapping cabinet bringing daily revenue, her income increased from almost USD 25 previously to over USD 122 per month currently. With a long waiting list of drivers who are happy to pay in advance to onboard in the battery network, she is now ready to have another cabinet and serve more electric tuk-tuks.
Looking back, Jorna is pleased with her choice. "I believe I am not only becoming independent financially and socially, but also inspiring other women to be self-sustaining through such business. The electric tuk-tuks have made daily commuting affordable with less pollution, while we, the micro energy entrepreneurs contribute to a greener future for our children," she said with hope.
Disclaimer: The mention of companies, projects or products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended, either by IRENA or the author(s). The designations employed, and the presentation of material herein do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of IRENA or the author(s) concerning the legal status of any region, country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.
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