Phoenix Energy, part of INDEVCO group, and fuel distribution and retail company IPT have established EV Zone, a fifty-fifty joint venture, to operate a network of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) that will be deployed across the country.

In the first phase, 50 EVCSs will be set up and this number will reach 150 by the end of the current year with much more stations to be installed afterwards, said Rabih Osta, Vice Chairman of Phoenix Group. The EVCSs will be installed in gas stations, shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants, and cafes. Customers could charge their cars while shopping in a mall or a supermarket or eating in a restaurant, Osta said. These businesses could also make special offers on the cost of vehicle charging, he said.

Osta said the cost of charging an electric car is about half the cost of gasoline for cars using fossil fuels because electric vehicles convert the energy generated by braking into electrical power. He said they have noticed an increase in imports of electric cars and that they expect this trend to continue.

A mobile app was launched that could be used by owners of electric cars who will be able to start charging their vehicles within a week, Osta said.