DG PAMA Urges Government to Curb Use of Substandard EV Batteries in Pakistan

Director General PAMA Abdul Waheed Khan urged the government to curb the use of standard EV batteries in Pakistan. He said that despite the subsidy by the government on electric vehicles, consumers still have to pay a considerable amount from their pockets to buy an electric vehicle. So the government should not force them to buy electric vehicles with substandard batteries in the guise of the latest technology that offers no reliability.

DG PAMA Urges Government to Curb Use of Substandard EV Batteries in Pakistan

“More than 90 per cent of electric 2-wheelers being sold in Pakistan are equipped with only lead acid batteries with a single graphene coating, nothing more. It’s a hoax,” he said, adding that it is a matter of survival and longevity of the electric vehicle industry. “Once the consumer confidence is shattered by buying vehicles with poor quality graphene-coated lead acid batteries, they will never opt for any electric vehicle again, undoing all the efforts by the government to promote electric vehicles,” he added.

The federal government has launched the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) program 2025-30. Under this revenue-neutral scheme, funded by NEV levy of up to 3% on ICE vehicles, subsidies worth Rs. 122 billion will be offered across the automotive spectrum. One of the preconditions, among others, is that only electric vehicles with Lithium or advanced battery technologies will qualify for the scheme.

Globally, companies use Lithium-ion batteries for their superior technology and quality. They offer longer life span, faster charging time, high energy storage, greater efficiency, and longer range, thus offering far better value for money in the long run. The majority of electric 2-wheelers in Pakistan come with graphene-coated lead-acid batteries, portraying these as the latest graphene batteries, which are not even commercially available on a large scale.

“Interestingly, no manufacturer is offering warranties beyond 24 months for these batteries, whereas lithium batteries are usually being provided with a warranty of 5 years or more,” he added.

See Also: PAVE Scheme: 41,000 Applicants Receive Electric Vehicles through Pakistan’s First E-Ballot

He said that vested interests are distorting production and sales figures of two and three-wheeler vehicles produced in different leading world markets. “They claimed in a news item that China’s EV (2 and 3 wheelers) production in 2025 was 40,000,000 units and Indonesia’s production was around 2,000,000 units, while Vietnam’s production was 2,000,000 units, whereas the International Energy Agency’s Global EV Outlook 2025 report tells another story,” he added.

“Around 10 million electric 2 and 3 wheelers were sold globally, while in the electric two-wheeler category, China led by recording sales of 7 million units, followed by India with 1.3 million units, Vietnam with 250,000 units, and Indonesia with 105,000 units,” said DG PAMA.

“It is important to share accurate information with readers,” said DG PAMA. He explained that the figures mentioned in the news are far from the actual production numbers. He added that such misleading reports harm both the local auto industry and consumers.

Moreover, he also urged the government not to fall for such tactics. Instead, he advised the authorities to invest national resources only in proven and safe battery technologies.