Electric Mobility Symposium at SDSB-LUMS

An Electric Mobility Symposium was organised at SDSB-LUMS on December 12, 2022. This was a part of a multi-year research project awarded by the Higher Education Commission Pakistan to LUMS in collaboration with Zhejiang University, China. It focused on key issues related to Pakistan's value chain of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

Multiple panel discussions during the symposium discussed policy, manufacturing of vehicles and key components, charging infrastructure, users' adoption of BEVs in Pakistan, and the experience of the diffusion of BEVs in China. Dr. Shakeel Sadiq Jajja, Associate Professor SDSB- LUMS and Principal Investigator of this research project, explained that several different types of EV consumers exist. Each segment has its own set of expectations and constraints and global regulatory trends. This segregation must be considered as it will impact infrastructure and policy decisions.

Speaking at the occasion, the Honorary Dean-SDSB, Dr. Alnoor Bhimani, highlighted the need to promote EVs to tackle climate change and increase economic activity and emphasised the importance of awareness that the need for clean energy sources has never been higher. He acknowledged how a symposium like this brings key players together for the vital conversations that fuel this momentum at a time when industry-wide collaboration is essential for continued progress.

Dr. Yongyi Shou, Professor of Operations Management at the School of Management, Zhejiang University, China, joined the discussion via a weblink and praised the research efforts made by the team to take the much-needed research on BEVs forward. Dr. Yongyi Shou is the Co-PI who has worked extensively on BEV-related supply chain issues and maintains a thorough understanding of the BEV industry in China and how it has evolved over time.

There was also a display of BEVs for the participants to witness the ongoing work on electric mobility in Pakistan. The industry leaders, students, and panel members appreciated the efforts for conducting a successful symposium and gave their best wishes to the research team led by Dr. Jajja.