Electric vehicle charging service mandatory for all new gas stations

AMMAN — The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) has decided that all new gas stations will not be licensed without having the facilities for charging electric vehicles (EVs), a statement from the commission said on Tuesday.

EMRC President Farouq Hiyari said that the decision came in light of the growing number of EVs in Jordan, which requires multiplying the number of charging stations across the Kingdom.

Hiyari said that the commission has licensed 18 charging stations since it was tasked with regulating the service in 2016, according to the statement.

He noted that two online services have been added on the commission’s website to facilitate the application process for licensing private and public charging stations.

EMRC sets up a monthly tariff for charging electric vehicles, charging fees at public stations, according to the statement.

Hiyary called on new investors and owners of gas stations to benefit from the commission’s facilitations.

In recent remarks to The Jordan Times, Jordan Free Zone Investor Commission President Nabeel Rumman said that some 5,950 electric cars were cleared in 2017, an enormous increase to previous years, as the number of EV’s that entered the Kingdom in 2016 reached 885, 336 in 2015 and 9 in 2014.