Growing popularity of electric vehicles: How can cheap electric vehicles be imported to Pakistan?BBC Reports

The popularity of eco-friendly vehicles instead of petrol is growing rapidly all over the world, including Pakistan.

In addition to leading electric car makers such as Tesla and Toyota, some Chinese companies have also entered the industry and are claiming to make affordable electric vehicles with modern facilities.

The availability of electric cars around the world is still not as common as for cars powered by petrol and diesel, and as they are being developed with the latest technology, their prices may be a bit higher.

And keeping this in mind, the question arises as to how the consumers who are in Pakistan can order electric cars and whether the prices of these cars will be more or less than the petrol cars available in the country.

On the Internet, people are talking about low-cost Chinese electric vehicles, which, despite their unusual appearance, are equipped with modern conveniences.

In early June, US car blogger Jason Tarchansky surprised everyone by claiming that you could order "the world's cheapest electric car" on the Chinese e-commerce website Alibaba, as he did. Also did

The four-wheeled vehicle is named Cheng Li.

He brought the electric car from China to his home in the United States and 'unboxed' it in a video.

"I thought it was made of plastic, but it's made of metal," Jason said, opening the car's packaging.

He said the car was accompanied by a spare tire, side mirror and charging plug.

The car has a seating area in the front and can barely seat two people in the back.

But the presence of LED lights, air conditioner, radio, MP3 player and rear view camera impressed Jason.

However, the two-door vehicle is being paired with a golf cart designed for the elderly.

How is an electric car different from a petrol car?

Without engines, these cars rely heavily on electric batteries. Experts believe that the lack of fuel in electric vehicles can reduce air pollution and that is why this car is being called environmentally friendly.

This 1.1 horsepower electric car has a 60 volt / 1200 watt motor installed. It is powered by a 60 volt 45 AH battery and has a top speed of 35 km per hour.

According to the company, it takes seven to 10 hours to fully charge and it can run up to 100 km on a single charge.

And it has a one-year warranty with certain conditions.

Price and availability

Cheng Li Electric Car is available on Alibaba's website. For Pakistani consumers, it is currently priced at Rs 153,275 to Rs 197,610.

You can contact the company's representative to order it in Pakistan and talk about improvements or priorities.

According to Jason, with this car you have to buy a separate battery which is around 00 1200.

The car, which sells for 9 930 from a Chinese company, will also have to pay taxes and duties on imports, which vary from country to country. And these taxes can be more than the cost of the car.

According to Jason, the car cost from 9 930 to more than تین 3,000 to import from China to the United States. But he says it's still worth less than a car or a golf cart.

There are many other small electric vehicles like this on Alibaba. But complete information about these unpopular vehicles cannot be obtained without testing them.

Similarly, there are many cars on the Internet that do not look like traditional cars but are popular because they are powered by electricity.

On the other hand, according to the Chinese state media CGTN, it is illegal to drive such vehicles on Chinese roads because they do not have a number plate and are not registered.

They are made for the elderly who are disabled. And these cars "do not meet the safety standards of the Chinese Department of Transportation."

According to Chinese media, these 'mobility scooters' have caused thousands of accidents on Chinese roads in the past.

How is it possible to import new electric vehicles in Pakistan?

According to the Federal Board of Revenue, new vehicles can be easily imported into the country provided you pay the customs duties and taxes required for the import process and requirements.

To understand the import procedure, we can take the example of this vehicle.

The Chinese company says that if you buy this car, after paying all the expenses, it will be delivered to a port of the country, such as the port of Karachi. But it will be your responsibility to bring it home from there.

The federal government had announced along with the electric vehicle policy that the import duty (customs duty) on the import of electric cars used for public transport has been reduced.

According to an official of Pakistan Customs, who is associated with the vehicle import sector, his company checks the vehicle invoice and related data for importing a new car from the internet and to estimate the price of the vehicle. The actual price is also displayed on the company's website.

He said that in order to clear the import of his electric car, the consumer has to pay 25% customs duty, 7% additional customs duty, 17% sales tax and 12% holding tax on it.

Help can also be sought from a clearing agent.

He further said that the next step would be vehicle registration for which the user would have to approach the excise department of his area.

Documents such as vehicle invoices, taxes and duty payments will be required in this regard.

The customs official acknowledged that at present a large number of electric vehicles are not seen on the roads in Pakistan because of the difficult procedure for their registration.

He says that electric vehicles of well-known companies are easily registered but registering cars of small companies is a bit complicated process.

According to Muhammad Javed, an official of the Excise Department in Punjab, for registration of any vehicle, you have to come to the office of your respective Excise Department.

To register an imported car you will need a registration form, an identity card, a permit issued by the customs authority, documents related to payment of taxes and a copy of the invoice.

He said that if required, the Department of Transport can be approached for the fitness certificate of the vehicle.

He said that after these steps, imported vehicles can be registered and run on the roads.