Context
In Pakistan, the transport sector is responsible for a large share of emissions and worsening air pollution. Road transport is dominant and responsible for carrying 91% of national passenger traffic and 96% of freight. As the population and economy have grown, the number of vehicles on the road has drastically increased. It is important for the country to seize an opportunity to transition to electric mobility. It has set targets to replace 30% of fossil fuel vehicles with electric vehicles, 3000 CNG stations to be converted to charging stations, and 100,000 cars and 500,000 bikes and rickshaws to be converted to EVs during the next four years. To achieve this target, Pakistan will launch the National Electric Vehicle Policy to introduce supporting mechanisms designed to increased electric vehicle penetration. The country also plans to conduct a market assessment to identify various gaps and barriers and ultimately to create a concrete roadmap.
CTCN Support
Pakistan has requested technical assistance from the CTCN to prepare a funding proposal to support preparatory activities to deploy and scale up electric vehicle use in the country. The proposal will cover the market readiness assessment, implementation roadmap with suitable business models and investment plans, detailed feasibility study for the selected interventions, and capacity development for the relevant stakeholders.
Expected Impact
A disruptive market transition to electric vehicles presents an opportunity to address unequal representation of women in decision-making and to increase women’s participation in the transport sector by providing socio-economic opportunities in new business models as drivers, charging solution providers, and fleet operators. The electric vehicle transition will also lessen air pollution, thereby improving public health. The technical assistance also contributes to Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contribution, which emphasizes the large potential to achieve fuel efficiency in the transport sector.
