Pakistan plans 3,000 public EV charging points by 2030, starting with 40 fast chargers on motorways
The Ministry of Industries and Production told the National Assembly that private operators will get a dedicated electricity tariff and quicker grid connections to build the network.
Pakistan wants about 3,000 public electric vehicle charging facilities by 2030, the Ministry of Industries and Production has told the National Assembly. The figure came in a written reply to a question from MNA Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, and it sits inside the New Energy Vehicle Policy 2025 to 2030. A Senate panel said in July that 3,000 stations by 2030 is not enough.
The first phase is far smaller. The policy provides for 40 fast charging stations along motorways and selected sections of the N5 national highway, with charging points about 50 kilometres apart on major routes. Fuel stations will be encouraged to add charging units to their forecourts. Forty stations is about 1 percent of the 3,000 target, so most of the network would have to come after the highway corridor is in place.
What private operators are offered
The ministry does not describe a network built by the state alone. To attract private investment it offers a dedicated commercial electricity tariff for charging stations and faster electricity connections, two items that decide whether a charging business can cover its power bill and open on time.
The plan also leans on public private partnerships, including viability gap funding. Under that kind of arrangement the government covers part of the difference between what a project costs to build and what it can earn in its early years. Fuel stations already have forecourts, power connections and drivers who stop to refuel, which is why the policy courts them.
After the highway stations, the policy calls for more fast chargers alongside Level 2 and Level 1 facilities. Level 1 plugs into an ordinary household supply and Level 2 uses a stronger one, so both suit homes, offices and car parks better than a motorway stop. Battery swapping stations are planned for electric two and three wheelers, where a rider can exchange an empty pack for a charged one instead of waiting at a plug.
Old batteries
The reply also covers the end of a battery's life. The policy provides for collecting, transporting, reusing, dismantling and recycling spent electric vehicle batteries, with lithium ion the main concern. Spent packs hold materials that can be recovered, which is the purpose of a collection network.
That work is unfinished. The ministry said it is still developing a regulatory framework and a nationwide network of collection and recycling facilities.
