LUMS Energy Institute Suggests to Install 85 EV Charging Stations on Motorways
Everyone keeps talking about how Electric Vehicles (EVs) are not practical in Pakistan. It’s true, yes! But what can we do to change that? How can the government make EVs a win in Pakistan? One word: infrastructure.
People don’t buy electric vehicles because of ‘range anxiety’. They cannot travel on Motorways on electric cars because there aren’t any charging stations on the way. We have known the problem all along, thanks to LUMS Energy Institute; we now know the solution.
Report on EV Charging Infrastructure
The LUMS Energy Institute has made a report on ‘Developing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Across Highways and Motorways of Pakistan’. The report identifies 85 locations on motorways and highways to set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, so people can charge their EVs on long journeys and travel with ease.
We have two EV charging stations at Lahore-Islamabad motorway, one at Bhera and another at Pindi Bhattian. The report suggests installing 85 more across M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5, M-9, and N-5 to solve people’s EV range anxiety.
The report highlights 15 ‘prioritized’ locations to start the EV charging infrastructure in Pakistan. Installing 10 DC-fast chargers at these 15 points will do the job.
Pakistan has signed the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country by 20% by 2030. The LUMS Energy Institute collaborated with the Ministry of Climate Change and the National Center in Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC) to compile this report and help the government promote EVs in Pakistan.
We have a long way to make EVs the new normal in Pakistan. Building EV charging stations on motorways and highways will be a good start. Let’s hope the said things are done, and we make progress on the EV front this year. Not asking for all 85 charging stations at once, but at least some in 2022.