Urban air pollution is one of the major and longstanding problems in Pakistan, a country that ranked third worldwide among 118 nations for bad air quality in 2021 (IQAir, 2022). As per the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Bad-quality air is an increasing cause of death in the South Asian nation of around 224 million people, which has resulted in an estimated 236,000 premature deaths in 2019.
Currently, the transport sector contributes almost 43% to the total airborne emissions in Pakistan (Daily times, 2022). Meanwhile, the country has a surplus electricity generation capacity, accumulating a large sum of capacity payments. Under such a situation, there is a dire need to initiate non-seasonal and flexible loads, and EVs have emerged as an effective solution.
Considering the growing problem of these emissions and their impact on the environment, the government needs to promote greener transport. According to experts, developing EVs in Pakistan is a potential solution for improving the quality of the environment and fully utilising the country’s electricity. In this regard, government officials have taken the initiative and announced plans to start e-buses in different areas of the country. As per the orders, around 50 e-buses have been started in Karachi. Each bus can carry at least 70 passengers and travels 240 km (149 miles) on a single charge.
Yet this is quite a small number of buses and needs a more meaningful transport overhaul. Considering the situation, the government is now working on an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), pursuing a loan of about $30 million to purchase an additional 100 buses, which will have a significant impact on the environment. To improve the environmental and urban conditions in Pakistan, there must be an availability of emission-free, comfortable and luxury vehicles and trained staff to discourage masses from using their smoke-emitting cars and motorbikes.
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