Morocco set to shore up EV expansion with 5k charging stations: Morocco will add 2.5k EV charging points over the next three years and double the number to 5k stations by 2028 at a total cost of USD 140 mn, Asharq Business reports, quoting President of the country’s Intersectoral Professional Association for Electric Mobility (APIME) Omar Al-Harethi. Al-Harethi noted the financing would come from private sector financiers, but did not disclose which firms would provide the capital needed to deploy the charging stations.

Current capacity: There are currently 152 EV charging points accommodating the 500 EVs that are currently being used in Morocco, but the planned increase in EV charging points would cater to the expected uptick in adoption of the vehicles in the country within the next three years, which is expected to see some 25k electric cars up and running by 2026, according to Al-Harethi.

About APIME: The sustainable mobility body — backed by the state’s National Federation of Electricity, Electronics and Renewable Energy — was launched in January and comprises 20 firms including automakers, importers of car parts, and auto manufacturing-focused research and development companies, according to Asharq. It aims to chart a path to accelerate the transition from combustion engine cars to EVs.

REFRESHER- Morocco dominates the regional EV industry: Pundits — including Fitch and the Middle East Institute (MEI) (pdf) — agree on the country’s EV production potential. The kingdom’s mineral reserves — crucial to EV battery production, as well as its solar and wind resources qualify it to lead a “green mobility revolution.” Morocco has put together a comprehensive agenda: From developing a national master plan for electric mobility by the end of 2022, designating zones where fossil-fuel cars are banned, giving tax exemptions on EVs, to developing the infrastructure through an iSmart charging station.

Industry giants have already set up shop in Morocco: French automaker Renault will start producing EVs at its Tangier plant this year, Morocco’s Industry and Commerce Minister Ryad Mezzour said back in September. Morocco is also in talks to build an EV-battery ‘gigafactory,’ Mezzour had said, suggesting contracts should be inked by the end of 2023. Meanwhile, Renault and Stellantis already operate EV assembly facilities producing 700k cars each year. Citroen also produces around 50k EV buses per year with plans to double that output in two years. The kingdom is targeting the production of around 1 mn EVs in the next three to four years.

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