BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 22
By Sadraddin Aghjayev - Trend:
Cars with hydrogen engines are produced in Japan and are considered the most environmentally friendly, Azerbaijani auto expert Eldaniz Jafarov told Trend.
“The production technology of such engines is one of the most expensive today. Today, hydrogen-powered cars can be bought in the European markets in France or Germany,” said the expert.
“Crystallized water is used as fuel. These crystals act as fuel and allow the car to start the engine. The cost of such cars in Europe is about 70,000 euro. In these countries, the buyers of such cars are provided with certain subsidies, where the state pays a certain part of the cost of the car,” Jafarov said.
“As part of the program to improve the environmental situation in Azerbaijan, particularly in Baku and the Absheron region, certain work is underway to reduce emissions of harmful substances both by enterprises and vehicles. There are over 1.5 million vehicles in our country, most of which are in use in Baku and Absheron region,” said the expert.
“To import such cars into our country, first of all, it is necessary to create an appropriate legal base, build an appropriate road infrastructure, service centers, equip filling stations with the necessary equipment for the cars of the future. This is a set of works that should be carried out in parallel,” Jafarov said.
According to the expert, the population of Azerbaijan is showing great interest in cars with electric motors.
“This is a positive moment when the population is ready to abandon their usual engines and switch to more environmentally friendly cars powered by batteries and other types of engines. Albeit in a small volume, but today in our country the process of integration of hybrid vehicles is already underway,” he said.
Jafarov also noted that Azerbaijani car dealers still import electric vehicles from countries such as South Korea and the US.
“Here, the main increase in the value of the car is in the payment by the car dealer of 15 percent of customs duties from its value, as well as in withholding other taxes. The legal framework of our country needs stimulating legal norms where it is possible to minimize customs duties on imports, taxes and other fees,” said Jafarov.
Another feature in the opinion of an auto expert in the field of buying environmentally friendly cars is that banks offer high lending rates, he added.
“The banking system of Azerbaijan adheres to the recommendations of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), in connection with which the credit conditions of all banks are practically the same: the first installment is 40 percent of the cost of the car and plus the remaining loan amount at 16 percent per year. I believe that here the CBA can either give free rein to the country's banks in determining credit conditions, or reduce the rate of the first installment to 20 percent, and the annual percentage within 9-10 percent,” Jafarov said.
The expert stressed that such recommendations of the CBA will allow not only to renew the country's park, but also to keep the environment clean, the health of the population, and also to strengthen the economy.