Egypt will manufacture its first electric vehicle in 2023, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced on Tuesday during a World Youth Forum (WYF) panel discussion, as part of the state’s efforts to transition towards a green economy.
In a session dubbed ‘From Glasgow to Sharm El Sheikh: Combating Climate Change’, El-Sisi said that the state promptly addressed the issue five years ago by starting partnerships to manufacture electric vehicles in the country.
A locally made electric vehicle will be launched in 2023, he said, adding that Egypt has responded quickly to face global warming despite of its low carbon emissions through a number of initiatives.
“Despite of this, we are vigilant about facing it and we have even found opportunities [to develop] because of the issue,” he said, in reference to the several initiatives spearheaded by the state to deal with the impact of climate change.
The initiatives include scrapping old and rickety cars and replacing them with new ones running on natural gas and lining canals for EGP 80 billion under the Decent Life Presidential Initiative at the country’s poorest villages.
The president’s statements come a few weeks after Egypt asked the representatives of US multinational automotive giant General Motors (GM) and Al-Mansour Automotive Company to submit a comprehensive study of their plans to manufacture electronic vehicles locally, as they plan to launch electric, eco-friendly vehicles in the country in 2022.
Egypt seeks to localize these environment-friendly cars, reduce dependence on fuels, and keep pace with global progress in the automobile industry.
In December, Egypt’s military production minister said the mass production of the Egyptian-Emirati bi-fuel pickup vehicles will begin by the end of the first half of 2022.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
