Daewoo Express Pakistan has started electric vans for the first time in Pakistan for Rawalpindi to Murree route. In a historical development last year, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese company Skywell Automobiles and Swiss company Hitachi ABB Power Grids.
Daewoo started electric vans from Rawalpindi to Murree route. pic.twitter.com/zLgn0l6AdO
— Zulfiqar Ahmed 🤔 (@ZulfiqarAhmed69) April 12, 2022
According to the agreement, the signatory companies decided to collaborate to introduce electric buses among other electric vehicles while also developing charging infrastructure for the electric vehicles in Pakistan.
The project had to be executed in two phases. Skywell Automobiles had to provide its state-of-the-art electric buses built outside of Pakistan to Daewoo in Phase-1. In Phase 2, it had to set up a manufacturing plant for producing electric vehicles in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Hitachi unit had reached a preliminary agreement to supply charging infrastructure for this effort.
Read more: China to make electric vehicles in Pakistan
The development is part of the government’s larger vision to introduce electric vehicles and reduce reliance on conventional cars per the globally implemented measures to tackle climate change. It is to be noted that Pakistan passed the electric vehicle policy earlier this year. Its execution will help reduce Pakistan’s fuel import bill and alleviate pressure on the country’s current account deficit as most of the finished petroleum products used in transport are imported.
In 2020, Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam had said that the PTI-led government plans to convert 100,000 cars and 500,000 two and three-wheelers to electric vehicles in four years. He had said that the initiative would lead to a saving of 70% in running costs, cutting almost $2 billion in oil imports by 2030.
Pakistan has its eyes set on the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and the automobile sector is expected to undergo a drastic transformation over the coming decade as the government wishes to manufacture around 100,000 electric cars and more than half a million two and three-wheelers. Keeping in view that air pollution takes away thousands of lives each year and costs around 5-6% of the GDP, the government’s intentions are legitimate.
According to the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Jehanzeb Khan, at least 30% of all new vehicles sold in Pakistan in various categories will be Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Pakistan will have 60% renewable energy by 2030. Addressing the forum Asia & Pacific Transport Forum 2022 organized by Asian Development Bank, Pakistan has taken several transportation initiatives including Lahore Orange Line, Karachi Green Line, Peshawar BRT while Karachi Circular Railways has been recently approved.
Demand for electric buses is projected to surge as Asian nations seek to temper urban sprawl with low-carbon-emissions technology. By 2030, 3 million to 5 million electric buses will be in service worldwide, up from about 500,000 in 2019, the International Energy Agency forecasts.
Emerging markets are home to many cities with underdeveloped urban transportation, giving them a unique opportunity to jump directly to the most advanced zero-emission technology.