Iran's Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade and a Chinese delegation signed a memorandum of understanding to create a specialized automotive university in Alborz province, west of Tehran.
The auto university will be located in Payam Specialized Economic Zone. The main goal is to accelerate local manufacturing of hybrids and EVs, IRNA reported.
Present at the event were Deputy Economy Minister Abolfazl Fallah and Governor of Alborz Province Seyyed Hamid Tahaei.
The Chinese envoy said the investment opportunity in Alborz "motivates us to further expand manufacturing and economic activities in the region."
The pro-environment Hassan Rouhani administration has been pressing the need for increasing EV and hybrid production as pollution levels in Iran have continued to rise.
In June, Iran Khodro Company, the country's leading vehicle manufacturer, signed a memorandum of understanding with Sharif University of Technology and Amirkabir University of Technology to design and produce hybrids and EVs. The carmaker hopes to mass produce hybrids in three years.
The government has also introduced incentives such as discounts on electricity bills to increase EV sales.
To properly promote the technology, however, several experts believe that along with manufacturing the needed infrastructures—plug and charge stations for one—must also be prepared.
