KARACHI: Pakistan’s first ultra-rapid DC charging station for electric vehicles has been inaugurated in Karachi. The Audi, in collaboration with SIEMENS has unveiled Pakistan’s first and only Ultra-Rapid DC charging station equipped with Siemens SICHARGE D series chargers with power up to 160kW in Karachi.
Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, Administrator Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab said, “I am happy to have inaugurated along with the German Ambassador, Pakistan’s first ultra-rapid EV charging station in Karachi.”
While appreciating the intervention of LIBRA and Siemens Pakistan in the installation of the first ultra-rapid EV charging station in Karachi, saying that the electric vehicles, which are cost-effective & environment friendly, are now being registered in Sindh.
“Karachi must also become a metropolis geared towards the new world of transportation with electric vehicles, which will vastly improve emissions in our city by reducing exhaust fumes from fossil fuels. We need to build up an infrastructure of charging stations. Germany’s innovative technology can lead us in this direction. Let us plug Karachi into its electrical future,” he said.
“I am particularly pleased to be present today at the inauguration of this example of brand new German innovation. The future is electric - we are learning that more and more today in times of climate change and global warming. However, electro-based mobility also requires a corresponding infrastructure. I am pleased that another step in this direction is being taken here today.” said Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan Hon Bernhard Schlagheck.
CEO of Premier Systems Syed Arshad Raza said, “As announced, 2020 marked the start of Audi in Pakistan’s major electric offensive. We successfully launched the e-Tron model range and are already following that up with the next model, the dynamic and fascinating e-Tron GT. We can proudly say that Audi is the number #1 brand of any car manufacturer in Pakistan leading this transformation. Audi is also making an important contribution to the urgently needed expansion of the charging infrastructure, and the LIBRA Charging Hub is the first step in achieving this goal.”
Commenting on the launch of LIBRA Charging Hub, CEO of Siemens Pakistan Markus Strohmeier said “We need significantly more charging points in Pakistan to cater to the growing requirements of electric vehicles. For that reason, stakeholders including policymakers, investors, and power utilities must continue their efforts in the coming years.
The LIBRA Charging Hub with Siemens’s Ultra-Rapid charger addresses future peak demands and the lack of charging opportunities in Karachi, said Abdul Haseeb Khan, owner of LIBRA Charging Hub.
Needless to mention, the country has now National Electric Vehicles Policy, with targets and incentives aimed at seeing electric vehicles capture 30 percent of all the passenger vehicle and heavy-duty truck sales by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040. It sets even more ambitious goals for two- and three-wheelers and buses; 50 percent of new sales by 2030 and 90 percent by 2040. The world is now moving toward electric vehicles and Pakistan would follow suit. The technology will help cut the demand for oil and Pakistan could save about Rs2 billion annually. In addition, pollution will reduce by up to 70 percent.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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