Officials drafting legislation to regulate use of electric vehicles

AMMAN — Authorities are preparing regulations for recharging of electric vehicles following incentives announced recently by the government to encourage the use of the environment-friendly vehicles. 

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources  Ibrahim Saif was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying on Tuesday that the government is preparing a set of measures to boost the purchase of electric cars in the Kingdom in a bid to reduce the Kingdom’s fuel bill and to protect the environment.

President of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission Farouq Hiyari told Petra that the commission began in August drafting necessary legislation and measures governing recharging electric vehicles to be ready when charging stations start operations. 

Manaseer Group, a leading fuel company in the Kingdom, announced last week that it has installed three electric recharging points in its gas stations on two major highways and in Aqaba, near the port city’s airport. 

Charging points on highways are installed near the Nueimeh intersection with Irbid and near Muwaqqar on the desert highway. 

Manaseer group said it plans to install 10 more recharging points across the Kingdom by the end of November.

As electric vehicles are tax and customs duties free, the government announced last week the exemption of such cars from registration fees, saving owners between JD8,000 and JD9,000. 

Several days later, the government decided to offer more incentives by exempting charging devices of fully electric vehicles from customs duties and sales tax. 

There are a number of Tesla electric cars in the Kingdom currently used by top officials including Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh, in addition to several ministers. 

A government official said that another batch of cars is expected to arrive to the Kingdom in the coming weeks to be distributed to some senior officials. 

Recharging points are also available at the Prime Ministry, Planning Ministry and a number of other ministries, said the official, who preferred to remain unnamed.