Recently the government announced that Pakistan will be able to manufacture and put on road electric cars by 2030 which is a welcome news. With rapid industrialization many big cities in the world are faced with serious traffic problems. Rising oil prices, traffic snarls and delays in commuting, carbon emitting vehicles that contribute to pollution, rising hassles for people who commute daily - have become normal features of urban life. Carpooling has not worked in many situations and public transport is either insufficient or non accessible to many commuters.
Introduction of electric cars is a new project - both tantalizing and with great potential that is being experimented in many countries. But it faces many challenges of infrastructure and management:
Eg, it is tough to start a new business off the ground especially in developing world. It's even tougher when one is trying to launch a new industry based on a new product that could alter the ways millions of people get around.
The electric car industry is poised to introduce a number of products like any new industry. A major challenge is the cost factor. Battery technology is expensive and as batteries in electric cars need to be holding massive amounts of charge to make the cars more practical for commuter, they have to be built using expensive material which is difficult to procure.
The major challenge however is the cost factor. Battery technologies are expensive and since used in electric cars that need to be holding massive amounts of charge to make the cars more practical to the commuter. So, they have to be built using expensive material which is difficult o procure.
As electric cars cost a lot to build, they also cost more than comparable gasoline-fuelled cars but that makes consumers reluctant to buy then. It is a free-range chicken- and- egg problem. They could be less expensive if electric car makers would ramp up production, volume and use economies of scale. But for this to happen many consumers need to buy them - something that would not happen unless prices come down.
Beyond the cost factor, the car makers have to do a lot of convincing to do about electric cars as a better proposition, practicability, advantages and fuel costs. Still many people are not convinced that it is a better proposition. First, is the limited range anxiety. People are worried that range of travel is limited and since they run on batteries the charge will run out after a fixed period.
Eg, in a gasoline-powered car running low on gas is no problem while pulling it into the gas station, fill it up and soon resume the travel. Charging an electric car is not all that simple: Most production of electric cars about to hit the market can go up to 100 miles (160.9kms) on a single charge. Access to a specialized charging station, which are few and far between, is another major issue which normally takes about eight hours.
While most people drive less than 40 miles (64.4 Kms) a day and could easily recharge their cars at night it is not convenient for those who travel more. In case, there is an unexpected emergency to drive more and with no prospects of re- charging at stations one can get delayed or even stranded.
Battery charging stations, if provided at different points, can alleviate these concerns. An infrastructure has to build up with charging stations, workshops that are many and conveniently located. People prefer charging of their vehicles in their homes in garages but those who live in shared apartments or use street-parking have the hardest time in charging their vehicles.
If the infrastructure is improved and more people would buy electrical cars but again this is a chicken- and- egg dilemma: unless people buy more cars, infrastructure investment will not take place as it would be uneconomical for investors.
As a reminder, when industrialization started in 19th century and many inventions were made in the West the Luddites broke and damaged machines in Britain; and in early 1990s, computers in many countries seemed a threat to traditional office workers, and were looked at askance.
But once advantages of computer technology and other technologies became apparent they were readily accepted and are now commonplace.
China has done well in solar energy and making batteries of all kinds, and built impressive infrastructure of storied roads and highways. It is doing the same infrastructure-building in Pakistan and other countries as part of BRT project to improve global communication and connectivity.
For example, to cope with pollution and congestion it introduced the bike-sharing initiative which attests to efforts in conserving oil, fighting pollution and mitigating traffic woes. Of course, China as a single party state has been able to take decisions and enforce many rules and regulations which are difficult in other countries.
China has done well in harnessing solar energy and manufacturing industry batteries, and built impressive infrastructure of storied roads and highways. It is doing the same in Pakistan and other counties in infrastructure building to improve communication and regional connectivity.
It also used the bike-sharing initiative which attests to efforts in conserving oil, fighting pollution and mitigating traffic woes.
Taking pride as the 'Middle Kingdom', it invented has four things: gunpowder, paper, printing and compass. It is now trying novel ideas and 'innovative disruption' to find indigenous solutions to many problems in robots, AI, facial recognition technology, and digital technology.
Pakistan faces extra challenges due its divisive political system, ill-planning, poor co-ordination, archaic infrastructure and unsatisfactory ancillary services. Any new idea or experiment brings in its wake some teething problems and resistance but with improved economy, proper transport policy, planning, robust rules and system regulations, good coordination the dividends from new technologies can outweigh the initial cost and difficulties.
The PTI government is cognizant of these challenges and learning the lessons to make Pakistan a technological state. This might take some time but the intent and direction is right.
(The writer is a Visiting Faculty, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Earlier, he served as President Islamabad Policy Research Institute; Adviser, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad; and Head, Dept of International Relations, NUML University, Islamabad Campus)