In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and boost the use of renewables, Egypt has launched its first public electric car-charging station in Cairo.

According to iAfrikan, the February launch formed part of the first phase of nationwide deployment, with an additional 65 stations planned across the Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez and Red Sea regions. The aim is to set up 300 stations within the next two years.

The stations – developed by local company Revolta – cost roughly US$50 000 each to manufacture, and it is hoped that their deployment will help amp up the North African country’s ambitions of increasing renewable energy usage by up to 22% by the year 2020.

‘This event is the cornerstone for the launch of electric cars in Egypt,’ Tareq Qabil, Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry, said at the inauguration in Cairo.

The stations will be located at petrol stations as well as malls, hotels, universities, sporting clubs and other public areas.

6 March 2018
Image: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh