Anyone visiting Akbar Road — Karachi’s oldest two-wheeler market — can’t help but notice a perceptible change inside and outside of showrooms there.

Lined up among the queues of petrol motorcycles manufactured by various brands are electric bikes as dealers look to diversify their offerings in the face of the changing demands of customers.

While some of the dealers have completely renovated their showrooms to sell new EV bikes, others have kept both used and new variants.

Motorbikes are the preferred mode of transport for the middle class and lower segments of society owing to their fuel efficiency and cost.

Pained by rising fuel costs, customers are switching to electric bikes, but a set of challenges hampers the pace of transition

However, the rising cost of petrol has forced users to consider switching to electric vehicles which, experts claim, offer a significant reduction in expenses.

The price of electric bikes ranges from Rs155,000 to over Rs400,000 with a mileage of 55km to 140km on a full charge.

Mohammad Sabir Sheikh, a dealer of Chinese electric bikes, says an average e-bike covers 100km on a full charge, for which it consumes two units of electricity.

Even if the per-unit rate is from Rs41 to 45, the e-bike covers 100km for around Rs100.

In comparison, he says, a 70cc petrol bike has a mileage of 50 to 60km on one litre of petrol, which costs Rs260.

A consumer switching to e-bikes saves at least Rs10,000 per month, Mr Sheikh estimates.

Some e-bikes cover up to 80km on eco mode and consume only 1.75 units, while others go 65km on power mode on just one charge.

‘Slow transition’

According to Mr Sheikh, even though the prospects of e-bikes excite users, the transition has been slower in Karachi than in Punjab.

He says Akbar Road has over 200 shops, of which only eight to 10 have been fully converted into electric bike showrooms, while some 20 to 25 dealers are selling both petrol and e-bikes.

Several reasons are holding customers in Karachi back from switching to e-bikes.

According to Mr Shabbir, most people in Karachi live in apartments and face issues with parking and charging infrastructure.

In contrast, cities of Punjab have a lower number of apartments as most people own a house where they can easily install chargers.

The slower speed of e-bikes, compared to petrol variants, is another downside.

E-bikes have a limited speed of 45kph to 140kph, based on the motor’s power, which is usually in the range of 600 to 2000 watts and takes five to six hours for a full charge.

The deteriorating law and order situation and street crimes are also a deterrent for users thinking of buying a new e-bike.

According to dealers, many consumers believe that the low speed of electric bikes might make them an easy target for muggers.

Local manufacturing

Rana Imran Qadir, a partner of AIMA electric bikes which assembles electric bikes in Lahore, tells Dawn that sales of e-bikes are going all over urban areas of Pakistan.

However, he claims the opportunity had opened the gate for a new scam.

Some dealers are importing unbranded bikes from China and marketing them with different names, Mr Qadir says.

As a result, customers are facing issues of quality and durability, and brands are facing the problem of bad reputation without any fault of their own.

According to Mr Sheikh, the Karachi-based electric bikes dealer, currently 28 companies are marketing electric bikes by assembling them in Pakistan with almost zero per cent localisation.

He recalled that five years back, some local manufacturers converted petrol bikes into e-bikes, but they failed to attract buyers due to their old designs and high prices.

However, the arrival of Chinese e-bikes in the market in February 2023 forced local assemblers to focus on new technologies.

Both Mr Qadir and Mr Sheikh say an instant switch to e-bikes in Pakistan would be wishful.

“It is hard to convince Pakistanis to shift instantly from petrol-driven bikes to electric ones, and it may take at least five years to see a change.”

He adds that the pace of change would also depend on the government’s interest in promoting and incentivising electric bikes.

Mr Sheikh says the market dynamics of motorbikes would “completely change” in the next three to four years, with e-bikes capturing a sizable market share. As the cost of living continues to get higher, e-bikes would become the only choice for citizens to save on fuel costs, Mr Sheikh says.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2024