Import Management through Detailing of HS CODES for “EV” and “EREV” Passenger Cars

Background and objective: In passenger-car imports, battery electric vehicles (EV) and series-hybrid extended-range electric vehicles (EREV) are reported together under a single heading, 8703 80, of the current national commodity nomenclature (HS CODE). This lowers the precision of the main import-management tools: statistical accounting, risk profiles, declaration verification and clearance time. The study assesses the significance, for import management, of splitting heading 8703 80 into subheadings for EV (8703 80 00) and EREV (8703 80 90). Methods: comparative analysis of import volumes for 2019-2025 and mean clearance time for 2020-2025, calculation of shares in total clearance time, a conditional scenario for 2026-2030 and a sensitivity analysis. Results: In 2022-2025, EV imports grew 11.1-fold and EREV imports 72.3-fold; the EREV share rose from 4.8% to 24.8%. In 2025, EREV accounted for 24.8% of imported units but 37.0% of the total clearance time of EV and EREV; the clearance time per EREV was 1.78 times that per EV (4.53 vs 2.54 hours). Under separate subpositions, EREV clearance time in 2030 is 0.79 hours versus 1.95 hours under the current coding (-59%). Conclusions: detailing provides an informational basis for import management, but the observed time gap is not proven to be causally related to classification; the scenario is conditional, and practical implementation should be evaluated against a control group.