President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of a project to develop the electric vehicle industry and expand servicing electric vehicles Monday, the presidential press service of the head of state reported.

In February, the president instructed to develop a Uzbekistan’s electric car industry development strategy within three months. The strategy was to include a localization program for components and materials for electric vehicles, as well as technical requirements and modern standards for them. Shavkat Mirziyoyev also set the task of completing negotiations with foreign companies by the end of the year and starting a project with a strategic partner.

Reportedly, the chairman of Uzavtosanoat company, Shavkat Umurzakov provided information on the agreements reached and models, the production of which is planned to be mastered. Details are not given.

Electric vehicles are rapidly entering our daily lives… We need to provide the population with affordable, low-cost, modern electric vehicles, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

However, electric vehicles require an appropriate infrastructure. Now there are only 50 charging stations in the country, they are located mainly in Tashkent and Samarkand. There are no service centers for electric vehicles.

The President set the goal of installing 2,000 charging stations in parking lots, fuel stations and highways over the next two years. These stations will benefit from land tax, property and profit tax relief. Businesses who own charging stations will be given the right to sell electricity at a free price, the report said.

We must look not at one year, but at decades ahead. Therefore, taking into account the environmental agenda and for the sake of the future, we need to develop this industry now. The sooner we do this, the more competition will appear in the car market, the President said.

“He focused on ensuring that electric vehicles were affordable. And this depends on the degree of localization of the components.

The presentation listed opportunities for the production of batteries and electrical transmitters in Uzbekistan, using the available reserves of lithium, copper and graphite.

Next year it is planned to supply 200 more electric buses for Tashkent public transport and 100 to Samarkand. The President instructed "to start relevant work in other cities."

The presentation also spoke about the training of specialists for the electric vehicle industry. Plans were presented to organize a scientific laboratory for electric vehicles at the Turin Polytechnic University, as well as to improve the qualifications of teachers and specialists in China, Germany, the USA, South Korea and other countries.

At the end of 2020, the government of Uzbekistan issued a resolution stating plans to switching the Uzavtosanoat over to the production of exclusively electric vehicles.