The Egyptian Organisation for Standardisation and Quality (EOS), affiliated to the ministry of trade and industry, will announce the country’s electric cars standards by the end of this year.
Ashraf Afify, chairperson of the EOS, said that the organisation has entered into negotiations with several foreign bodies to complete the specifications of electric cars, allowing them into the market following the ministry of trade’s decision to permit import of electric vehicles, whether new or used.
In March, the former Minister of Trade and Industry, Tarek Kabil, allowed the import of electric cars in Egypt, except motorcycles. He specified that the vehicles included in the decision must not be over three years old at the time of shipping.
Afify added that the EOS is currently working under the traditional specifications until further updates and are approving the new specifications.
According to the ministry of industry’s decision, the rules regulating car imports in Egypt stipulate that these cars must not be used and be produced in the same year. However, electric cars were exempted from this rule to encourage usage of these types of cars in Egypt and reduce fuel consumption as well as pollution.
In a different context, Afify explained that the ministry of industry has approved 49 technical specifications for cars in their entirety this year in order to raise safety standards inside vehicles.
He added that issuing these specifications comes within the framework of the UN agreement, which Egypt signed in 2012, regarding approving unified specifications for vehicles with wheels and the equipment that can be installed and used in the vehicle, aiming to improve safety standards. The agreement included 143 standards.
Regarding customs exemption of European cars starting from next year, in accordance with the European Partnership Agreement, Afify said that the EOS will not specify certain standards which could hinder the entry of these cars into the country. “European cars do not require specifications because they meet the typical standards,” he stated.
