Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has installed an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at the Bhera service area on the Islamabad-Lahore motorway (M2).
The inauguration ceremony took place in Rawalpindi. According to the details, the charging facility is available on both, north and southbound routes, to facilitate commuters traveling from Lahore to Islamabad and vice versa.
The charging outlets are also capable of fast charging, which will allow the commuters to save precious time. PSO has placed these stations halfway between Lahore and Islamabad to facilitate the EV users traveling between the two cities and beyond.
The Oil Marketing Company (OMC) states that it plans to further expand its EV charging network further to ensure the normalization of EVs in Pakistan.
Pre-Existing Facility
Last month, Pakistan’s own Tesla Industries inaugurated two EV charging facilities adjacent to M2. One of the facilities is located at Bhera, while the other is at Pindi Bhattian.
Both the stations have one 120 kWh charger which takes 40 minutes to fully charge a 70 kWh battery, and one 60 kWh charger which takes more than an hour to fully charge a 70 kWh battery.
Both stations have executive lounges for the commuters to rest while their vehicles recharge. For GT Road commuters, the company has installed another 60 kWh charger at Hardees near Gujrat.
The EV charging network is gradually expanding in Pakistan. However, skepticism against the lack of EV charging infrastructure and its slow development remains among the public. Other than that, EVs are far from affordable which only makes their adaption in Pakistan slower.
