NA committee calls for closure of EV companies using lead-acid batteries

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Industries and Production has recommended shutting down electric motorcycle manufacturers that use lead-acid batteries, amid concerns over safety standards and the risk of battery explosions in hot weather conditions.

The recommendation was made during a meeting of the committee’s sub-committee, chaired by MNA Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, where officials discussed the electric vehicle (EV) policy, safety standards, and quality issues in the electric motorcycle industry.

Committee member Naz Baloch said companies manufacturing EV motorcycles with acid-based batteries should be closed down.

“The companies using lead-acid batteries in electric motorcycles should be shut down,” she said, stressing the need for strict enforcement of safety standards.

The committee expressed concern over the emergence of several illegal manufacturers in the EV motorcycle market and highlighted issues related to battery quality and vehicle safety.

Secretary of Science and Technology briefed the committee that developing standards was the responsibility of the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), but there was currently no effective mechanism to ensure implementation.

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He warned that batteries could explode under extreme heat conditions and emphasized the need to verify battery quality.

“Battery standards must be checked as it is essential for public safety,” he said.

The secretary added that Pakistan currently lacks a proper laboratory facility to test vehicle quality and that manufacturers should ensure pre-shipment inspection and quality certification for imported used vehicles.

He revealed that around 400 to 500 vehicles had entered Pakistan without proper inspection and were later cleared after being granted exemptions.

The committee convener said PSQCA was supposed to establish laboratories for vehicle testing but had failed to do so.

Special Secretary of the Ministry of Industries and Production said Pakistan lacked adequate facilities to test locally manufactured vehicles.

“The real issue is whether we can ensure implementation of the standards that have already been set,” he said.

Officials from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) informed the committee that Pakistan has two laboratories for motorcycle testing, including one established at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with support from USAID.

They said facilities were available to test EV motorcycle batteries but acknowledged complaints regarding the use of substandard batteries instead of lithium batteries.

“The government’s priority and policy direction is to promote the use of lithium batteries,” EDB officials said.

They added that the rising cost of petrol had increased demand for electric motorcycles in Pakistan.

The committee was informed that no motorcycle manufacturing company in Pakistan currently produces its own batteries.

A representative of an EV motorcycle company said the industry was obtaining quality certifications from foreign laboratories because certifications issued in Pakistan were not internationally recognized.

He warned that manufacturers would face difficulties exporting motorcycles if local certifications were not accepted globally.

He said batteries account for around 40 percent of the total cost of an electric motorcycle.

The representative also raised concerns over the lack of uniform standards across provinces, saying vehicles manufactured in Sindh were not allowed to be sold in Punjab due to different provincial requirements.

He said provincial authorities did not always recognize standards set by PSQCA, adding that the 18th Constitutional Amendment had given provinces greater authority in several matters.

“We need a clear EV policy, and the industry will follow it,” he said.

The Secretary of Science and Technology said EV standards had already been developed, but the main issue was their implementation.

PSQCA officials said the federal government should make lithium battery testing mandatory.

Committee members stressed that the Ministries of Science and Technology and Industries and Production must work together instead of shifting responsibility to each other.

“The ministries need to come on the same page,” Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto said.

Naz Baloch said manufacturers were benefiting from the current situation while consumers were suffering.

“Standardization falls under PSQCA, while regulation is the responsibility of the relevant ministries. The manufacturers are taking advantage of this gap, and the public is paying the price,” she said.