TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Abbas Aliabadi has said 3,000 charging points will be established for electric vehicles (EVs) across the country by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, IRIB reported.

Speaking in a ceremony held on the occasion of National Auto Industry Day, Aliabadi said: “We need to move towards making electric cars; currently, 120 million liters of gasoline are consumed throughout the country, of which we need to import seven million liters, therefore, making electric vehicles is a solution to overcome the imbalance in gasoline supply and demand.”

“The most important components of an electric car include the battery, engine, gearbox, and control system, which can be domestically made, but the priority is to start with the battery and save energy,” he explained.

Mentioning the significance of the auto industry in the world, the minister said: “In 2023, the world auto industry revenue total 3,350 billion dollars, which makes this industry the first in generating income in the world.”

According to the official, Iran’s total income from the automobile industry was 8.40 quadrillion rials (about $16.8 billion), which means the sector gained as much as half of the country's budget.

The official noted that the country’s 37 automakers managed to produce 1.335 million vehicles in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19) making the country the world’s 16th automaker.

The Industry Ministry has targeted the production of 1.7 million cars for the current calendar year, Aliabadi said.

“Iran's rank in car production increased from 18th to 16th during 2021-2023, and if production remains constant this year, we will reach 15th rank,” he said.

According to Aliabadi, 900,000 people are currently working in this sector, which accounts for 12 percent of the country's added value.

Back in February, the Manager of the electric vehicle project of the Industry Ministry Hasan Karimi-Sanjari said Iran’s public transportation fleet was going to receive 2,500 electric vehicles.

Referring to a plan for the import of electric cars to the country, Karimi-Sanjari said: “It is expected that 2,500 electric vehicles will be added to the public transport fleet.”

Later in May, the director of the customs office of Qeshm Free Zone Organization (QFZO) announced that the first shipment of imported hybrid cars arrived on Iran’s Qeshm Island.

Speaking to reporters, Amir Ali Davood stated that all the imported vehicles were brand new models, adding that some of the imported cars (including Toyota Corolla, different models of Mercedes-Benz, Toyota SHR, Toyota Camry, Lexus (UX) and 18 models of vans) will be used in the public transportation fleet.

The customs clearance and plate numbering of the imported cars started shortly after these cars were imported to Qeshm Free Zone by one of a reliable import and export company, he stated.

Under the agreement inked in March 2024 between Qeshm and Kish free zones and this import-export company, some of these cars will be supplied by this company at Kish Free Zone, he said, adding that talks are underway with other free zones of the country for the supply of these cars.

All necessary licenses have been received from the National Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) and the Department of Environment (DoE) and the imported cars meet requirements of the international CCC and GCC standards, he added.

The next shipments of the imported cars will arrive in Qeshm Free Zone in the coming days, Davood added.

EF/MA