First electric vehicle trial for Pakistan
BYD and its Pakistani partner have completed a 15-day trial operation of a K9 electric bus in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. This is the first full-electric bus in Pakistan and the evaluation echoes the local government’s aim to build a 100-strong pure-electric bus fleet within 2021.
Home to over 16 million people, Karachi is the coastal capital of Pakistan’s Sindh province and a transportation hub connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.
“We are very excited to welcome Pakistan’s first pure-electric bus,” says Syed Awais Qadir Shah, Sindh transport minister. “The successful trial operation of pure-electric buses in Karachi marks an important step towards electrification. We plan to add 100 pure-electric buses within this year, hoping that our public transportation system will be able to popularise pure-electric buses in the future.”
Ketsu Zhang, assistant general manager, BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, adds: “It’s a great honour to bring BYD’s electric bus K9 to Karachi, Pakistan for the first trial operation. I believe that Karachi will become a model of Pakistan’s green cities of the future, bringing people a smarter, safer, and cleaner travel experience.”
BYD is supplying vehicles to many other countries across Asia-Pacific, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia and India. Globally, the brand’s pure electric buses and taxis have spread to over 300 cities, operating in more than 50 countries and regions.