The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM) announced this Thursday a new incentive to replace gasoline and diesel vehicles with electric ones. The measure seeks to stimulate the purchase of this type of vehicle by taxi licensees, applications and remises throughout the country.
In this way, a fund of US$ 500,000 to be distributed in subsidies of US$ 5,000 for the acquisition of new units, with a total quota of 100 vehicles. The call will be open from November 1 of this year until December 31, 2023. The award of the beneficiaries will be made in order of arrival and there will be no quotas by sector or region.
“It will be a very simple procedure to be able to adhere to the plan. You just have to show that you bought the electric vehicle and that you have a one-year permit to provide the service”, stated the National Director of Energy, Fitzgerald Cantero during the presentation.
Cantero recalled that the tool of the energy efficiency certificates that grant financial compensation for the purchase and use of light vehicles.
The Director of Energy pointed out days ago to The Observer that the price of these vehicles continues to be one of the entry barriers, and that ways are constantly being sought to facilitate the purchase. In this sense, the Executive Branch has implemented tariff measures such as the exemption from the payment of the Specific Internal Tax (Imesi), for instance.
“At the time of purchase it is complicated because you have to have the capital, but when you do the numbers of the costs of fossil fuel with the cost of electricity, it already drops a lot. The other great savings is the maintenance that is minimal, and therefore there are also important savings”, he pointed out.
Currently, the fleet of electric vehicles for passenger transport services is around 160 units. The price of the units intended for passenger transport has a floor of between US$35,000 and US$40,000.
