MM News

Pakistan’s first electric car prototype, which has been dubbed NUR-E 75, was unveiled on Independence Day (August 14, 2022), a private TV channel reported on Monday.

The car’s battery capacity will be 35kWh. After being charged, the vehicle will have enough power to run for 210km.

According to Dr Khurshid Qureshi, founder and chairperson of the Distinguished Innovation, Collaboration & Entrepreneurship (DICE) Foundation, which designed and developed the prototype, the car will save a lot of fuel and help combat climate change and sustain economic prosperity.

DICE Foundation is a US-based non-profit organisation run by expatriate Pakistanis from the US, the EU and other parts of the world, along with support from local academia and industries.

Dr Qureshi, a leading expert on developing autonomous vehicles, said the car’s production has three phases: the first was industrial design, production, and launch; in the second, production will be expanded to Sedan and SUV, small commercial trucks and EV platform export; and in the third the cars would be exported.

He said production began in 2019, adding that the fully functional prototype, EV NUR-E 75, is ready for testing and regulatory approval, while work on the design of a rolling platform to be used for various vehicle segments is underway.

Explaining different features of the five-seater hatchback, he said the car has a peak power of 80kW or 108hp, and a battery capacity of 35kWh covering 210km with the air conditioner turned off.

The fully electric car has a maximum speed of 120km/h, tyre size of 16 inches, ground clearance of 190mm and charging capacity at 220V in eight hours, with fast charging also available, he added.

He pointed out that the car, presented as a gift to Pakistan on its diamond jubilee, would play a phenomenal role in the context of the environment and climate change, and help us move away from non-renewable fuel consumption.