Sales of electric vehicles are rising in Jordan; this trend is attributed by dealers and drivers more to high gas prices than to worries about climate change and air pollution.
Thanks to the low import duties, inexpensive Chinese-made vehicles are now frequently seen driving through Amman and on the kingdom’s desert routes.
Shadi Zatari, 43, a Tesla owner, says he plugs his car in overnight at home and can go 400 kilometers (250 miles) on a single charge, so he no longer worries about pump pricing.
“The main goal of buying an electric car is definitely saving money,” said the Amman-based merchant and father of three. “I saved almost two thirds of what I used to spend on gasoline.”
With Octane 90 unleaded petrol selling at about $1.40 per litre, Zatari said he used to spend about 120 dinars ($170) on fuel per month.
He can now drive farther for free and has reduced the average increase in his monthly electricity bill to 40 dinars.
Zatari’s vehicle is one of the 60,000 EVs that are currently registered in Jordan; they make up the fastest-growing portion of the country’s total registered vehicle count of 2.2 million.
By the end of July, there were 103% more EVs on Jordan’s roads than there were during the same time previous year.
For the entire year 2022, the increase was 167%; during that same year, imports of cars with gasoline and diesel engines decreased by 27%, while imports of hybrid vehicles decreased by about 25%.
