Added on July 29, 2016  The News Wheel   , , , , ,
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Russia Drops Taxes on Imported Electric Cars, May Start Up Russian Market

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When it comes to electric vehicles, your first thought of a big market is almost certainly not Russia. The huge country only has 647 registered electric cars (according to Autostat), most of them Teslas. However, that may change shortly, as Russia has decided that it will be lifting the current import duties on all-electric vehicles. According to RT, that would make electric cars in Russia full 15% cheaper.

This is actually not the first time for this tax break, which was first implemented back in February 2014, but was not renewed when it expired earlier this year. The new break will go into effect in September and last until August next year.

Unfortunately, this break only applies to fully-electric cars, and not plug-in or other hybrids. It also doesn’t cover electric trucks, although their duties have been reduced from 15% to 5%.

This is part of a wider-ranging effort to encourage eco-friendly transportation in Russia and other countries under the jurisdiction of the Eurasian Economic Commission (Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan). This push has been especially strong in Russia, as Prime Minister Medvedev last August signed a decree requiring owners of gas stations to equip their facilities with electric car chargers by this coming November, which would provide wide-ranging charging infrastructure for EVs.

As more and more automakers come out with their own electric cars, and electric fleets expanding across the board, electric cars may soon start to take off in Russia, especially since the Moscow Times cited one of the biggest obstacles to EV success in Russia as being import duties.

News Sources: RT, The Moscow Times