Audi and Siemens, two leading German companies, unveiled Pakistan’s first-ever ultra-rapid DC charging station with Siemens SICHARGED D series chargers at the Libra CNG Station in Saddar, here on Tuesday.

Abdul Haseeb Khan (CEO of Libra Energy Solutions) stated that his family has been involved in the oil industry for 50 years. In the 1990s, Abdul Sami Khan, his father, opened the first CNG station in this area. He has now brought in an electric vehicle (e-vehicle) charging station.

He asked the government to provide a subsidy for charging EVs. He also requested that electric pole-mounted transformers be installed along highways in order to allow them to install more charging stations. He said, “This will allow you to drive your electric vehicle from here to Murree.”

Markus Strohmeier, chief of Siemens-Pakistan, said that he had the deepest respect for Libra Energy for its initiative to venture into uncharted territory in the 1990s with CNG. Now with the charging hub. “Karachi has proven that it is at forefront of integrating technology.”

He gave some details about the charging station and said it was the first in Pakistan. It takes only 15 minutes for larger cars like the Audi etron to charge, while smaller EVs can be charged in four to five minutes.

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These charging stations are essential for highways. While he acknowledged that it will not be an expensive investment to have cars moving from one city to the next, he also pointed out that there are plenty of undeveloped land along our highways which could be used to create solar farms.

Karachi Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab spoke on the occasion and said that he was grateful to Abdul Sami Khan for thinking of CNG more than 30 years ago. He also expressed gratitude to those who have made their station a charging station by adapting to changing times.

“I use an electric vehicle privately and I want to tell everyone that people who have made the switch to e-vehicle have reduced their fuel consumption. Fuel prices will rise to an all-time high in 2022. These vehicles are also environmentally friendly because you always have renewable energy due to the sun or wind,” he stated.

He stated that he could find suitable locations within the city to set up charging stations. The KMC is there to support you, and we can convince other gas stations and petrol pumps to switch to this technology. This is something I can assist with, as EVs are also good for the environment. He said that he could speak with the federal government to discuss setting up charging stations along the highway. They are looking for cost-saving solutions.”

He said that many parks in the area are covered by the KMC and can be turned into solar parks. He said, “We’re doing this already at Kidney hill and Safari Park to help with street lighting costs.”

Hon Bernhard Schlagheck, Germany’s Ambassador in Pakistan, said that he was delighted to have been present at the induction of this new example of German innovation.

The future is electric. In these times of global warming and climate change, we are seeing this more often. But e-vehicle requires an infrastructure. He said that he was pleased to see another step taken in this direction.