Pakistan to manufacture electric vehicles soon

NA panel suggests MOCC supervise EV development

ISLAMABAD:

The government is working to indigenously develop an electric vehicle (EV) as it tries to shift away from fossil fuel-based vehicles.

This was disclosed during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change which met at the Parliament House on Thursday with MNA Munaza Hassan in the chair.

During the committee meeting, the ministries of climate change and industries and production gave a detailed briefing on electric vehicles. They said that the shift to electric vehicles aims to help lower the oil import bill of the country apart from making travel in the country environmentally-friendly.

The ministries said that they were jointly working with the engineering development board along with LUMS University Professor Dr Naveed Arshad to indigenously develop an electric vehicle.

The committee was further informed that an inter-ministerial committee has prepared proposals for electric motorbikes and rickshaws, while proposals for cars and trucks are under process.

The committee, however, expressed its concerns over the batteries of these vehicles, especially what happens after their expiry.

It was proposed that the overall supervision of the electric vehicle project may be assigned to the climate change ministry so that the project, from its inception, will become environmentally-friendly.

The committee further directed the industries and production ministry to devise a proper mechanism for checking old vehicles, especially two-stroke engines.

Moreover, the committee directed the ministry to organize proper emission tests for all old vehicles when they renew their annual token tax.

Furthermore, the committee directed the industries ministry to bind all vehicle manufactures to make vehicles as per international standard with safety measures provided in each vehicle without any additional charges.

Some committee members asked the climate change ministry why it had failed to provide a detailed report on the trees planted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) so far. The Committee directed the ministry to provide the requisite information in the next meeting.

MNA Mustafa Mahmud said that electric vehicles are currently far more expensive than conventional vehicles, adding that duties and taxes on electric vehicles are very high.

“How can you expect people to buy expensive cars?” he asked.

The industries secretary responded by saying that currently, there is a 25 per cent customs duty on imported electric vehicles. By contrast, there is a 50 per cent duty on 800cc conventional vehicles.

The officials further said that the duty on imported spare parts for electric vehicles is subject to just one per cent duty.

Moreover, the climate change secretary said that the industries and production ministry has not agreed to produce four-wheel vehicles.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2020.