Electric mobility

The federal cabinet has decided to move forward on a national electric vehicle policy whereby around 30% of the vehicles in the country will be converted to work off electric power. The underlying idea of the government is that this will help cut down our fuel import bill by around $2 billion while reducing vehicular emissions, thus improving the air quality. The government further believes that it will also help spur the local car manufacturing industry which has been in the doldrums recently.

The idea of introducing electric cars is a longstanding dream for environmentalists everywhere. However, as seen in other countries, electric vehicles and battery technology have only just gotten to the point where travel is feasible and economical. In Pakistan, we face a different conundrum. The first part relates to the manufacture of electric vehicles. For years now, we keep hearing about how students in some of our top engineering universities have built electric-powered cars which can solve many related problems, but they never arrive in the market. If the claims of the climate change adviser are correct and that car manufacturers are indeed waiting for the new electric vehicle policy, the cabinet’s decisions should bode well.

The other part of the puzzle relates to how the government thinks that electric vehicles can cut fuel bill and pollution. We will need to nearly double our current energy production capacity to meet the demands of millions of power-hungry vehicles. Our current power mix is heavily reliant on the combustion of oil and gas. This will only increase if we wish for the rapid electrification of our transportation infrastructure, offsetting any savings we hope to make. This also applies to emissions. A better way to solve the problem will be to improve the mass transit system in the country. The government’s thoughts are noble thought, but perhaps they need to come up with a better plan to implement it.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2019.

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