Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to inaugurate the Electric Bikes Scheme on Independence Day, as part of efforts to promote environmentally friendly electric vehicles and reduce the country’s import bill.
In a further step to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the Prime Minister will distribute affordable electric motorcycles to the public. The government has allocated Rs9 billion in the current budget to subsidise e-bikes.
Online registration will be required for applicants, and a lottery system will be introduced should the number of applications exceed the available quota.
A subsidy of Rs65,000 will be provided by the government for each electric motorcycle, with the remaining cost to be financed by banks at zero interest.
According to the Electric Vehicles Policy Document, the national target is to increase the number of electric motorcycles to at least 2 million by 2030. The five-year plan also includes the introduction of 53,950 e-rickshaws, 99,155 electric cars, 2,238 buses and 2,996 trucks—bringing the total projected number of electric vehicles to 2.213 million.
In the initial phase, 40 fast-charging stations will be established nationwide. Islamabad is planned to be developed as a model city for electric vehicle integration, with charging points to be installed at all petrol stations within the federal capital.
