On Tuesday, two leading German companies, Audi and Siemens, unveiled Pakistan’s first and only ultra-rapid DC charging station equipped with Siemens SICHARGE D series chargers with speeds up to 160kw at the Libra CNG Station in Saddar, which is now also known as the Libra Charging Hub.
Abdul Haseeb Khan, CEO of Libra Energy Solutions, stated in his welcome address that his family has been in the oil business for the last 50 years.
He asked the government for a subsidy to make charging EVs more affordable. and Electric pole-mounted transformers (PMTs) along highways to allow them to install more charging stations. “That way, you’ll be able to drive your EV from here to Murree easily,” he says.
Siemens-Pakistan CEO Markus Strohmeier voiced support for Libra Energy’s initiative in venturing into unknown territory with CNG in the 1990s and now with the charging hub. “Karachi has demonstrated that it is at the forefront of technology integration.”
He described their charging station as the first rapid charger in Pakistan, taking only 15 minutes to charge larger cars like the Audi e-tron and four or five minutes to charge smaller EVs.
Speaking on the occasion, Karachi Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab expressed gratitude to people like Abdul Sami Khan for thinking of CNG over 30 years ago and for continuing to adapt to changing times by converting his CNG station into a charging station.
“I also use an EV privately and want to tell you that those who have switched to these vehicles have completely eliminated their fuel costs.” Fuel prices are at an all-time high in 2022. “These vehicles are also environmentally friendly because they use renewable energy from the sun and wind,” he added.
Finally, Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan Hon Bernhard Schlagheck said that he was particularly pleased to be present at the inauguration of this example of brand new German innovation.
“The future is electric. We are learning that more and more today in times of climate change and global warming. However, electro-based mobility also requires a corresponding infrastructure. I am pleased that another step in this direction is being taken here,” he said.
