AS the world is moving fast towards the electric vehicles, it is encouraging to note that Pakistan has also made a beginning to introduce these environment- friendly vehicles on its roads, thus also giving a new direction to the automobile industry.Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam whilst addressing a news conference on Friday said an electric vehicle policy has been framed and it will be presented before the next cabinet meeting for approval. We expect the draft of the policy will also be shared with the auto industry and that their genuine inputs will also be incorporated to reap its true benefits. The policy envisages that thirty per cent vehicles will go electric by 2030. This indeed is an ambitious target and the turning this piece of paper into realty will require a lot of commitment and seriousness from the government. Nobody can deny the utility of these environment-friendly vehicles and this is the reason that many of our regional as well as other countries are turning to them. The running cost of these vehicles is less than when compared with vehicles running on other fuels.
In case of Pakistan turning to these vehicles will go a long way in cutting its oil imports and environmental pollution besides increasing business opportunities in the country. As per the electric vehicle policy, a special economic zone will be established where electric rickshaws, cars and buses will be manufactured. Certainly this will create immense job opportunities for our youth. To encourage investment in this particular SEZ, there is need to give maximum fiscal incentives and a favourable regulatory environment to the investors either domestic or the foreign. This SEZ should not serve mere as an assembly plant but rather be a hub for developing batteries and other spare parts for electric vehicles. This indigenization will take the country towards accelerated industrialization and benefit our skilled workforce. Alongside, it must also be ensured that the price of such vehicles is well within the reach of the people and that charging infrastructure is well in place before these vehicles hit our roads. China has achieved great milestones in the production of electric vehicles and is currently home to half of the world’s electric vehicles. We can seek the assistance of Chinese friends to make this policy truly successful in order to cut carbon dioxide emissions and reap economic benefits from the development of auto industry on modern lines.
