Police in Pakistan’s capital are using electric vehicles from Chinese automaker BYD for patrol and official duties.
Police in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, are gradually adding electric vehicles to their fleet. The force is using cars made by Chinese automaker BYD for traffic patrol and official duties across the city, and a video showing Islamabad Traffic Police officers with the vehicles was widely shared on social media this week.
The fleet has been built up in stages over the course of the year. The largest addition came on September 8, when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif handed over 50 electric vehicles to Islamabad Police at a ceremony in the capital.
The vehicles are supplied by Mega Motor Company, BYD’s official partner in Pakistan. The first batch, made up of BYD Atto 2 and Sealion 7 models, was delivered in April. It was the first time a federal government department in Pakistan had put a fleet of new energy vehicles into operational use.
Islamabad Police Capital Patrol Unit Receives 50 BYD Atto 2 Electric SUVs
At the September ceremony, the prime minister handed the keys to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the then Inspector General of Islamabad Police, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi. All 50 vehicles are BYD Atto 2 sub-compact electric SUVs.
The cars have been assigned to the Capital Patrol, a newly formed unit of 200 police personnel. Each patrol team pairs one male and one female officer, and motorcycle riders will support the unit. Every officer in the unit will wear a body camera, which officials said is intended to keep patrols transparent and accountable.
In Pakistan, the Atto 2 is sold in a single version priced at Rs7.29 million. It runs on a 45.12 kWh battery that can be charged from 30 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes, and its front-mounted motor produces 130 kW of power.
The April handover was attended by Rizvi and Islamabad Chief Traffic Officer Muhammad Sarfraz Virk, and the first cars were assigned to traffic patrol and official mobility. Mega Motor delivered a further batch to Islamabad Capital Police and Islamabad Traffic Police in July.
At the July delivery, police official Muhammad Haroon Joya said the force had adopted the vehicles in line with the prime minister’s green mobility policy. He said the long-term plan is to gradually move the entire Islamabad Police fleet to cleaner vehicles.
Pakistan Police Expect Fuel Savings From Electric Patrol Cars
Officials told the prime minister that the 50 new electric cars would save about Rs34 million a month in fuel costs. They estimated that the savings would cover the purchase price of each car in about ten and a half months.
Officials also said the shift is expected to reduce Pakistan’s spending on imported fuel, which would help conserve foreign exchange. Police leadership said it expects the vehicles to improve response times across the capital.
Electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions and generally require less maintenance than petrol and diesel cars. Police vehicles typically cover long distances each day, and running costs are one of the main factors behind fleet decisions of this kind.
Mega Motor, an associated company of Pakistani power producer Hub Power Company, is also building a local assembly plant for BYD’s new energy vehicles in Gharo, in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh. The plant is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2026.
Islamabad Police officials have said that further additions to the electric fleet are planned as the force moves toward its long-term target of replacing conventional vehicles.
