Shell has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with K-Electric to jointly develop the first three Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations in Karachi.

The 50KWH rapid chargers will be located at the Shell filling station in Defence’s Khayaban-e-Bahria, Askari filling station in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Mardan filling station in Gadap Town, as reported by SAMAA Money.

Prompted by the recently approved EV policy in Pakistan, both Shell and K-Electric hope to expand the number of EV charging stations in the next three to five years. Both companies plan on taking advantage of the various benefits introduced in the EV Policy including lower power tariffs for charging stations and 1% duty on EV charging equipment.

Shell will be responsible for the charging station equipment, site preparation, installation and operations, while K-Electric will ensure the enhancement of the grid.

According to Shell's Retail GM, Taha Magrabi, Shell and K-Electric are keen to support the Government's EV policy and its hopes to play a fundamental role in reducing global emissions through this collaboration.

Naz Khan, K-Electric's Chief Strategy Officer also comments that the "With the Government of Pakistan announcing a target of 30% of all vehicles in the local market to be electric by 2030, KE, with Shell, looks forward to facilitating our customers towards utilizing EVs and contributing to long-term environmental sustainability."