Govt announces tariff cut in EV charging stations by 45%

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has slashed up to 45% power tariff for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, cutting the power rates from Rs71 per unit to Rs39.70 per unit.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Leghari said Prime Minister Shehbaz announced a special concessional electricity rate for electric vehicle charging stations.

The regulations will be implemented and permission to install a charging will be issued within 15 days.

These regulations have been implemented under the National Energy Conservation Authority, an institution of the Power Division, the minister mentioned. A regular gazette notification has also been issued in this regard.

Along with this, regulations related to the establishment of the first electric vehicle charging stations and battery replacement points in the history of the country have also been implemented, he said.

Pakistan has actively promoted EV adoption to combat environmental challenges, reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, and improve urban air quality. Under its Electric Vehicle Policy 2019-2024, the government aims for 30 percent of vehicles to run on electricity by 2030.

The power division highlighted the economic benefits of these measures, saying that switching motorcycles to electric technology at an average cost of 50,000 could save $6 billion annually on fuel.

The minister highlighted that the recovery rate for the period from July to November 2024 has reached 96%, significantly improving compared to the same period in 2023 due to the prudent policies of the government.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that a reduction in the tariff from seventy rupees to forty rupees for Electric Vehicles is a good and welcoming initiative.