Q24N (EFE) The president of Panama, Laurentino Cortizo, signed a law on Monday that establishes that from 2025 a gradual change from public transport and official cars to electric vehicles must begin.
This is Law 162 that encourages electric mobility in land transport, whose purpose is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by increasing the use of renewable energies, reported the Panamanian Presidency.
“This new law is in line with the Government’s energy strategy of migrating towards less polluting energy sources, a policy that today becomes more important with the rise in hydrocarbon prices subject to geopolitical factors, external factors,” said Cortizo.
The law signed by President Cortizo was promoted by the minority independent caucus in the National Assembly (AN, Parliament).
“Good news: the #MovilidadEléctrica162 project has been approved in the Assembly after two years of perseverance and teamwork. We have accepted and corrected a partial veto. It will have an impressive economic impact in terms of INVESTMENTS and the generation of JOBS”, said the independent deputy and promoter of the norm, Edison Broce.
The law establishes that from the year 2025, 10% of vehicles of public entities must be electric; 25% in 2027, and 40% in 2030.
In the case of mass transport, that is, collective (buses) and selective (taxis) public transport, the norm dictates that a minimum of 10% of the car fleet must be electric in the year 2025; 20% by 2027 and 33% in 2030.
The electric transport units will have a green license plate, and the National Secretariat of Energy and the municipalities will manage everything related to the electric charging stations, the Government specified.
The Land Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT) will carry out the annual review so that transport operators comply with the replacement of internal combustion vehicles with electric ones. Failure to comply will cause the cancellation of the operation certificate.
As an incentive, the law establishes that the municipalities will manage the exemption from the payment of the vehicle registration plate for a period of five years from the date of purchase of new electric cars, and from the date of promulgation of the Law for electric cars acquired previously.
“Panama generates energy, not oil. Those MILLIONS (spent on oil bills) will now remain in Panama,” Deputy Broce highlighted in a series of messages on his social networks.