Can the humble motorcycle be replaced by electric two-wheelers?

Dawn reported that electric two-wheelers cost less to run than the Honda CD 70, but the purchase price remains the main obstacle in Pakistan. A conventional CD70 is priced at Rs168,000, whereas a lithium-powered electric bike sells for more than Rs300,000. Faraz Zaidi, chairman of Wasl Mobility Modaraba, estimates that fuel savings could recoup the extra outlay in around 1.5 years.

Adoption remains low, with some 150,000 electric two-wheelers sold last year, a rate the report puts at under 10 per cent of annual motorcycle sales. Industry figures cite around 40 manufacturers, uneven quality and no common standards, and batteries make up roughly 40 to 45 per cent of a bike's cost. Charging is another hurdle, as ChargePK founder Fahad Hassan says at most about 100 DC chargers exist nationwide and many do not accept bikes.

Delivery riders are a key test, as Foodpanda CEO Muntaqa Peracha says only about 150 of roughly 40,000 bikes in its fleet are electric, largely because charging takes around 30 minutes. Supply is also constrained, since assemblers depend on Chinese imports, and Ammar Habib Khan estimates an assembler at 1,000 units monthly per OEM needs roughly Rs200 million of working capital before any sale. The feature suggests lower running costs alone may not be enough to replace petrol motorcycles until a stronger ecosystem is developed.