KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Director General of Kuwait Municipality Eng. Ahmad Al-Manfouhi says the entry of electric cars into Kuwait was not studied during the preparation of studies on the fourth structural plan of 2016/2021, despite the presence of a small number of them in Kuwait at the time, as well as the presence of a number of fast charging stations for these electric vehicles installed in car parks, reports Al-Rai daily. He indicated that there will be a need for more charging stations for public use in the future, given the inability of the existing electrical networks of the residential units to charge their private cars, if they are approved in general.

In response to a question by a member of the Municipal Council Hamoud Oqla regarding the extent of studying the fourth structural plan for the entry of electric cars into Kuwait, Eng. Al-Manfouhi said it is not possible to know the real number of cars that will be imported into Kuwait, but it can be expected that the percentage of electric-powered vehicles will be in large proportion (if not completely) over the next ten to twenty years. He clarified, “The justification for saying this is that all major global auto manufacturers are committed to supplying electric vehicle groups.” Eng. Al-Manfouhi revealed that there were approximately 1,485,926 private cars registered in 2015 during the period of preparing the fourth structural plan, adding that this registered a growth rate of about two percent since 2010, and this growth is expected not to continue endlessly, but it may rise with the young generation that reaches the driving age.

He said, “The recommendations of the fourth structural plan for the State of Kuwait highlight the need to restructure the tariff, in addition to adopting a policy for the electricity sector with regard to implementing a new tariff and collecting revenues. Tariff restructuring is a pillar of the requirements of the fourth structural plan. With the tariff at low levels, none of the consumers will be interested in applying sustainable scenarios that reduce consumption and contribute to preserving the environment. In such a case, the energy network will continue to grow indefinitely in order to meet demand.

In theory, reliance on electric vehicles greatly enhances the pressure on the electric grid, which is why the fourth master plan recommended the introduction of electric vehicles in the context of parallel implementation of other sustainable policies in order to mitigate additional energy requirements, and to maintain the expected load as much as possible”. Eng. Al-Manfouhi stressed the need to address the national policy for charging electric vehicles from two perspectives - domestic charging and public charging - as electric vehicle equipment requires the integration of high-energy loads into the public grid system.