Exploring Pakistan's Electric Vehicle Potential: Honda's Senior Executives Visit LUMS

LUMS hosted senior executives from Honda on November 28, 2023, including Mr. Shinji Aoyama, Executive Vice President and COO of Honda Motor Company; Mr. Noriaki Abe, Chief Officer of Motorcycle and Power Products, and Mr. Toshio Kuwahara, President and CEO of Asian Honda Motor Company. They were joined by members of the Shirazi family Mr. Iftikhar H. Shirazi, Chairman, Atlas Foundation; Mr. Aamir H. Shirazi, President, Atlas Group; Mr. Saquib H. Shirazi, President/Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Honda Limited; and Mr. Ali H. Shirazi, President/Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Battery Limited. They were welcomed by the senior LUMS leadership including Founding Pro Chancellor, Syed Babar Ali; Pro Chancellor, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood; Rector, Mr. Shahid Hussain; Acting Vice Chancellor and Provost, Dr. Tariq Jadoon; and incoming Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ali Cheema.

During their visit, Atlas Honda Limited gifted an electric vehicle (EV) to LUMS for the purpose of academic exploration and research on the EV ecosystem. Mr. Abe spoke about how the Honda Benly, the company’s first electric motorcycle, is operated by lithium-ion batteries and has been introduced in Pakistan for the very first time. It represents a new era in the mode of transportation and the company is excited to take a pioneering step of collaboration in research with LUMS, he added.

Mr. Saquib Shirazi elaborated on how LUMS is the only educational institution in the country to be given the Honda Benly, and it represents a chance to collaborate more closely with the industry and act as a means of research and development. The vehicle will not be sold to the public initially, he shared; rather, the company will take feedback given by the LUMS community into consideration to further refine the vehicle.

Welcoming the delegation, Mr. Ali emphasised how LUMS is the top choice for Japanese students as it is at par with the best international universities. He requested the Honda delegation to facilitate the exchange of Japanese students at LUMS, as they will be mentored and taught by some of the best professionals and academics.

Mr. Dawood talked about the collaboration between LUMS and Atlas and how it is reshaping the research landscape in Pakistan. In particular, he spoke about the Yusuf H. Shirazi Complex at LUMS, which will serve as a hub of intellectual exchange where faculty and students from across the University can come together and interact. The building will be a dynamic centre to hold classes, seminars, workshops, conferences, and various events. It will also be a place where the different research centres at LUMS can collaborate and lead the effort towards multidisciplinary research.

To provide a holistic picture of the efforts being made towards sustainability, the delegation also visited the Power Electronics Research lab at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering to explore groundbreaking research in energy solutions. Emphasising their commitment to environmental stewardship, the Atlas Honda team ended their visit with a tree-planting ceremony at the site of the upcoming Yusuf H. Shirazi Complex.