Tesla executives are expected to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss investment opportunities involving electric vehicles.
Pakistani journalist Javed Afridi, who also is a large investor in automaker MG Motors Pakistan, stated earlier this month that Tesla could be coming to the Pakistani automotive market. Afridi also stated that he has met with Tesla executives on multiple occasions, leaving the meetings with the feeling that Tesla was interested in expanding its product market to Pakistan. ProPakistani originally reported the news.
The country is fresh with EV excitement, just passing electric vehicle plans in June 2020. It’s an ambitious plan, Reuters says, but incentives should help some drivers switch from petrol-powered engines to electric vehicles, which are more environmentally conscious. Pollution control is one of the main goals of the EV push in Pakistan, and Prime Minister Imran Khan said in November that cutting air pollution and curbing climate change is where he hopes the program helps out.
The goal is to have 100,000 electric cars, buses, trucks, and other modes of transportation in Pakistan over the next five years. Critics stated that it is an aggressive plan that will take several years to show environmental and financial benefits. By 2030, the goal is to have 30% of all vehicles running on electricity. The world’s most successful EV company would assist in Pakistan’s intentions to clean up the passenger transportation sector if it decides to expand to the country.
With Tesla gaining ground on some of the world’s largest gas car companies, it has planned to expand to more countries and set up more production facilities globally. With Asia and Europe being home to two of Tesla’s newest production facilities, the international expansion is well underway. Tesla has already set up an LLC business license in India to operate as an automaker and sell its sustainable energy products. There is speculation that the company will also end up in Israel. Now, Pakistan would solidify the automaker’s intentions to establish a home in the Middle East.