Electric vehicles clearances up 12% in first half of 2024

AMMAN — The total volume of vehicle clearances has increased by around 12 per cent during the first half of 2024, according to Jihad Abu Nasser, representative of the automobile sector at the Jordan Free Zone Investor Commission (JFZIC).

In a press release on Tuesday Abu Nasser said that the first six months of 2024 witnessed the clearance of over 33,954 vehicles from the Zarqa Free Zone (ZFZ) compared with 31,465 in the same period last year, attributing the increase to rising demand for e-vehicles.

He also said that electric vehicles dominated the clearance figures, accounting for 66.5 per cent of the total at (ZFZ ) in the first half of 2024, adding that " a total of 22,604 e-vehicles were cleared, compared with 13,861 for the same period in 2023, marking a 63 per cent increase".

Abu Nasser reported a 7 per cent increase in the clearance of diesel vehicles, with 3,470 vehicles cleared in the January-June period of this year, compared with 3,255 during the same comparison period last year.

In contrast, the number of gasoline vehicles cleared dropped by 57 per cent, with only 2,683 vehicles cleared compared with 6,310 in the same period last year.

Clearance of hybrid vehicles also fell by 35 per cent with 5,197 vehicles cleared in the first half of this year compared with 8,039 during the same comparison period of 2023.

Re-export activity increased by 17 per cent with 23,796 vehicles re-exported in the first half of this year compared with 20,328 in the same period last year.

Abu Nasser said that "no new e-vehicles have been released under the new regulations so far" when asked about the release of electric vehicles under the new regulations.