Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took it to his official Twitter account to announce that Pakistan will welcome electric busses on its roads by the end of 2020.
Chaudhry also shared that the electric busses are a strategic alliance agreement between Daewoo Express and Skywell Automobile, China.
The federal minister, in the tweet, also mentions that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has yet again fulfilled another promise made by him to the public. The security of taking Pakistan down a progressive road.
The busses will first launch in major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, and even Faisalabad, and will eventually make their way into other cities. Moreover, separate busses for women is also something that is currently in the pipeline.
The tweet reads:
From this year, electric buses will start running in Pakistan, and in three years, these buses will start being completely manufactured in Pakistan.
ایک اور وعدے کی تکمیل کی طرف بڑا قدم، ڈائوو پاکستان اور سکائ ول کمپنی کے درمیان پاکستان میں الیکٹرک بسیں لانے کا سٹریٹجک الائنس آج ہو گا۔ اس سال سے پاکستان میں الیکٹرک بسیں چلنا شروع ہو جائیں گی اور تین سالوں میں پاکستان میں ان بسوں کی مکمل مینوفیکچرنگ شروع ہو جائیگی۔ pic.twitter.com/AMiCw77PZT
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 26, 2020
Moreover, during the exciting ceremony to commemorate the new alliance, the federal minister shared that a close eye will be kept on all technical innovation technological inventions.
The minister also shared that when Pakistan introduces 5G technology, there will be many businesses that will no longer be required.
During the ceremony, the minister also talked about the prestigious Ruet-e-Hilal Committee head Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman. He shared that the moon would not alter its course based on what he or Mufti Rehman says.
If you close your eyes [to progress] and say ‘We do not accept it’, [time] will run over you, – He said indirectly to the Mufti
On the other hand, the minister also added that if progress were to be seen in Pakistan, that a 10-year plan must be made to think ahead.
He added that even today, it is very difficult for businessmen and women and families to be able to travel to Lahore in the winters because of the thick fog. To be successful, Pakistan has to work around these challenges and bring solutions.
He also made it a point that Pakistan is performing better than ever when it comes to exporting goods. “Today, we are making our own masks and sanitizers in Pakistan,” he shared. Demand for mangos had also exceeded the initial goal by 45,000 tonnes, which is excellent news for the country.
Electric Vehicle Policy In Pakistan
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had granted its approval for the Electric Vehicle (EV) policy for two and 3-wheelers as well as heavy commercial vehicles in mid-June.
The policy was drafted and proposed by the Ministry of Industries & Production after consultations from stakeholders, including the Engineering Development Board (EDB), Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), and others.
The EV policy was presented by MoCC and was approved earlier this year, but due to objections raised by MoIP, EDB, and other stakeholders, it was not implemented and was revised.
In April, during a meeting, it was then decided that the EV policy will be implemented for 2-wheelers (bikes) and 3-wheelers (rickshaws) to satisfy both the MoCC and the MoIP. On the other hand, it was decided that the policy for 4-wheelers (cars) would be implemented later on.
ECC Approves EV Policy for 2 & 3-Wheelers, Heavy Commercial Vehicles!
The federal minister, Fawad Chaudhry, had also extended a special invite to Tesla CEO Elon Musk to build his next factory in Pakistan.
The minister used the social media platform Twitter to invite the entrepreneur. In a tweet replying to news about how Musk plans on building half a million EVs in its future factory outside Berlin, he wrote:
Dear @ElonMusk your next destination may be Pak, 68% of the world population lives within 3.5 hours flight radius from Islamabad, we offer ten years zero tax facility and custom free import for factory setup, no other country may offer, plus we are worlds 3rd biggest freelance software exports.
Here’s the tweet:
Dear @elonmusk your next destination may be Pak,68% of world population lives within 3.5 hrs fligt radius from Isld,we offer ten years zero tax facility and custom free import for factory setup,no other country may offer,plus we are worlds 3rd biggest freelance software exporters https://t.co/CkHznHAQ1P
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 5, 2020
We have reached out to Daewoo Express for more information on the upcoming electric busses.
Until then, stay tuned to Brandsynario.