LUMS holds seminar on “battery electric vehicles”

A Seminar was organized for the stakeholders of “battery electric vehicles (BEVs)” at the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB), LUMS focused on addressing policy and manufacturing challenges.

LUMS holds seminar on “battery electric vehicles”In addition, manufacturing of BEVs in Pakistan, and featured the latest research and viability of the concept were discussed.

The seminar was part of the research efforts being organized at LUMS by faculty members, Dr Muhammad Shakeel Sadiq Jajja and Dr Syed Zahoor Hassan, with the support of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Centre, Islamabad.

Dr Haritha Saranga from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) participated in the seminar via Skype.

The seminar was attended by automobile manufacturers named as Atlas Honda, Honda Cars, Porsche Centre Lahore, and Indus Motor Company Limited (Toyota).

Other manufacturers also attended event, including Millat Equipment Limited, Treet Bikes, United Motors, Volvo-VPL, Road Prince, Sazgar Engineering Works Limited, Songuo Motors, Jolta Motors, and Power Electronics Pakistan.

Representatives from industry and trade associations from Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala Chambers of Commerce and Industry, GFC Fans, Fast Cables, Hadron Solar and Uber, as well as government officials from the Engineering Development Board and the Ministry of Climate Change, participated in the event.

Number of entrepreneurs, academics, and policymakers pioneering the electric vehicle concept in Pakistan and abroad were also present in the seminar.

Dr. Alnoor Bhimani, Honourary Dean, SDSB, inaugurated the seminar who emphasized the need for effective policymaking and legislation to indorse long term changes.

Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan commanded the audience through the basics of battery electric vehicle technology and various technical details. Vehicle market segmentation and global trends in the US, Europe, and China were also discussed.

Dr. Saranga raised question about the massive cost of oil imports in India, and how the government has been adopting policies to promote the use of battery electric vehicles through subsidies and incentives for local manufacturers.

An open discussion held in the seminar to give suggestions for development of smart grids, importing cells and batteries, challenges being faced by local motor manufacturers, and levels of industrial readiness to contribute to the BEV manufacturing value chain framework.

The audience learnt that GFC Fans was ready to provide induction motors and brushless DC electric motors to local manufacturers. Socio-cultural factors likely to adversely impact BEV adoption, such as the requirement for high speeds and extended travel range.

The session concluded with a demonstration of four battery electric vehicles-two motorcycles, a rickshaw, and a loader rickshaw.