Pakistan is accelerating its shift to electric vehicles as part of a broader push to cut fuel imports and boost exports, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said on Saturday.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the EVS World and Electricity Pakistan Exhibition at the Expo Centre, Iqbal said nearly 80 per cent of petrol consumed in Pakistan goes toward transportation, making the sector a priority for the transition to electric mobility.
He said a global EV revolution is already underway and that Pakistan must move quickly to adopt modern, green transport technology to reduce its reliance on imported fuel.
The minister said the government aims to shift two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers to electric power in a phased manner. To support this, he said, several incentives have already been introduced, including a subsidy of up to Rs80,000 for electric motorcycles.
Duties on EV vehicles were also reduced in the recent budget to encourage wider adoption across the country.
Iqbal said Pakistan has built an energy buffer of 6,000 to 8,000 megawatts through solar power, which he said should now be directed toward reducing dependence on imported oil by supplying domestically generated electricity to the transport sector.
He added that Pakistans EV industry holds strong potential to gain a prominent position globally, though current export volumes in the sector need to increase at least tenfold to achieve that goal.
