Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the government will install electric vehicle charging stations on all motorways. He was speaking at the ceremony to sign a MoU between science ministry and British Company, EGV Limited. Both sides have signed the MoU to build electric buses in the country.
“In next two to three years, the entire motorway network will shift to EV charging,” the federal minister said.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Public Transport:
Talking to media, he further said that EGV is Europe’s largest bus manufacturing company, and will make electric buses in Pakistan. “This is the second agreement of current government with a foreign company to develop electric buses,” he said.
In the first phase, the buses will run in three major cities of the country, i.e., Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
Furthermore, the government has announced to shift 40% of public buses to electric within the next ten years.
Almost three months ago, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) installed Islamabad’s first EV charging station. At the time of inauguration, the Federal Minister for Power Division Omar Ayub Khan told media that the government is planning to install 24 electric vehicle charging stations across the country. The minister said the government is taking all steps to tackle the menace of air pollution.
Electric Bike Service in Islamabad:
Earlier last week, a private startup has launched Pakistan’s first electric bike-sharing service named “ezBike” in Islamabad. Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Syed Amin Ul Haque inaugurated the service.
In the first phase, this service will only be available in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Electric Bike App:
ezBike is an app-based service that deploys electric bikes around the city at specific sports for public use. The citizens can locate and reserve an electric bike parked near them using the ezBike mobile app. Then they can ride it themselves to their destinations and park the bike in a designated area. After that, it will be available for the next user.
According to the creators, the entire process from registration to booking and payment is digital. The users have to pay Rs 5 to unlock the bike and Rs5 per minute for the ride. The rider can also stop journey to run errands. During the stay they would pay a reduced rate of Rs 2 per minute.
