Company receives 100 requests for purchasing electric cars

CAIRO – 4 April 2018: An electric cars marketing company has received 100 requests for the purchase of electric cars since Egypt’s Trade Ministry allowed the import of used electric cars on Saturday, the company’s CEO Mohamed Badawy said on Wednesday.

He said that the requests came before the company has officially opened the door for purchasing electric cars, saying that the door will be opened “within days”.
Badawy said that his company is awaiting a shipment of used electric cars to arrive in Cairo.

He said that the price of the used electric cars that his company is importing stands at LE 300,000, compared to its original price of LE 450,000.

On March 31, Trade Minister Tarek Kabil issued a decision that allows the imports of used electric cars, on condition that they are no more than three years old.

Kabil said in a statement that the rules for importing cars in general do not allow the imports of used cars, but an exception has been made for electric cars to encourage the use of these environment-friendly vehicles.

He said that these cars do not use traditional fuel sources, which helps in reducing pollution, adding that they are also cost-efficient and are exempted from custom duties.

The minister confirmed the ministry’s keenness on encouraging the manufacturing of electric cars in Egypt, especially after launching a network for the transport and maintenance of electric cars in Egypt.

Unlike conventional vehicles that use a gasoline or diesel-powered engine, electric cars and trucks use an electric motor powered by electricity from batteries or a fuel cell, and therefore they are cleaner than the most efficient conventional vehicles.