Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil issued a decree to allow the importation of used vehicles that work by electric motor (electric cars), except motorcycles, on condition of no more than three years from the year of production to the date of shipment or ownership. The minister explained in a press statement on Saturday that the rules of importing passenger cars in general, which are listed in the rules of the provisions of the Import and Export Law, stipulate that the importation of passenger cars shall be shipped or allowed to be imported during the model year and shall not be previously used, which means not allowing the importation of used passenger cars nor importing them in a different year than the model's production year. Kabil pointed out that the exception of the importation of electric cars from the previous rules is to encourage the local market to move towards the use of those environmentally friendly vehicles, as they do not use traditional fuel (diesel or petrol), and they are also cost effective in terms of fuel and maintenance services, which contributes to reducing the pollution of the environment, as well as enjoying exemptions from customs duties. He stressed his ministry's keenness to encourage the electric car industry in Egypt, especially after the launch of the first electric vehicle charging station in the country. Egypt inaugurated the station as it aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 22% by 2020 as part of governmental efforts to achieve sustainable development. Earlier, after the opening of the new station, the minister said in a press statement that its inauguration is the first step towards building Egypt's new vehicle infrastructure. He pointed out that the whole world is currently heading towarrds using this type of vehicle. Britain last year announced that it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting in the year 2040 in an attempt to reduce air pollution. Moreover, China, the US, and Europe are the world's three main electric vehicle markets, accounting for over 90% of all electric vehicle sales around the world, according to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
