Steps will be taken to brief police officers on the newly introduced green number plates for electric vehicles after a motorist was reportedly stopped by the Weliweriya Police over the unfamiliar plate.
A video of the incident recently circulated on social media, with the vehicle owner claiming that officers had stopped him because they were unaware of the new number plate system.
Responding to questions from BBC Sinhala, Motor Traffic Commissioner General Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Thushara Fernando confirmed that green number plates are being issued to all fully electric vehicles registered from this year.
“All fully electric vehicles will be issued green number plates,” Fernando said, adding that the plates would be fitted to both the front and rear of electric motorcycles, three-wheelers, cars and SUVs.
He stressed that the green number plates issued by the Department of Motor Traffic are legal. Number plates issued to non-electric vehicles will retain their existing colours.
Fernando said the decision was taken by the Transport Minister in consultation with a group of experts. The Department also expects to issue green plates to electric vehicles registered earlier once the backlog of delayed number plates is cleared.
The Commissioner General said he had seen the video of the Weliweriya incident and contacted the Inspector General of Police, requesting that officers be briefed on the new system. He said the Police Department had previously been officially informed that green number plates would be introduced for electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General W.P.J. Senadheera, who heads the Police Traffic and Road Safety Range, told BBC Sinhala that steps would be taken to educate police officers about the new plates.
However, he noted that the relevant Gazette notification must be issued by the Department of Motor Traffic.
When questioned about the Gazette, Fernando said the process was underway and that it was expected to be presented to Parliament for approval.
The Commissioner General also said more than 400,000 number plates had been awaiting printing. Around 100,000 had been printed since production resumed on June 10, 2026.
He said South Asian Technologies, the company printing the plates, had been instructed to introduce a night shift and deploy additional machinery to expedite the process.
Fernando added that the Department was considering obtaining the assistance of military personnel and expected to distribute all outstanding number plates within six months.
