In order to accelerate the development of zero-emission road transportation in the region, the Polish Alternative Fuels Association (PSPA) and the Slovak Electric Vehicle Association (SEVA), have established the Central-Eastern Europe Green Transport Initiative. The potential of CEE in the area of green automotive technologies was discussed by international experts at the New Mobility Congress 2022, the largest automotive event in the CEE region.

The population of the Eastern European countries is 292 million people. This is a significant potential in geopolitical, economic and scientific terms. CEE is also an area that requires increased development in terms of green technologies. As the European Court of Auditors calculates, electric vehicle charging infrastructure – despite the growing number of charging stations, traveling in the EU is complicated by their uneven distribution. Almost half of all electric car charging points in the European Union are concentrated in just two countries – the Netherlands (90,000 chargers) and Germany (60,000), according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). These two countries account for less than 10% of the total EU area. The other half of all chargers are scattered across the remaining 25 countries, covering 90% of the region. When it comes to infrastructure deployment, there is a clear divide between Central and Eastern European countries on the one hand and Western European countries on the other. For example, a country as large as Romania – about six times the size of the Netherlands – has only 0.4% of all charging points in the EU.

– Countries in the CEE region started their journey towards electromobility much later than Western European countries. Both legal regulations and support instruments to stimulate e-mobility market development were implemented with delay. As a result, in the Baltic countries, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, fewer new all-electric passenger cars were sold in total in the first half of 2022 than in Austria, Belgium or the Netherlands alone, for example. We must try to make up for this time as much as possible. That is why PSPA, together with partners from other countries in our region, has established the CEE GTI initiative – said Maciej Mazur, Managing Director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association (PSPA).

The CEE GTI initiative creates clear and legible goals – green and environmentally friendly transportation. It focuses on achieving the set goals through the development of documents, reports, analyses, positions and rulings. These tools will help influence the legislative process and the overall planning perspective at the EU level. As a result of this work, the potential and knowledge of the CEE GTI in the CEE region will also be developed, including in the key area of charging infrastructure. It is also important to emphasize the significant role of our country, which, as the largest region in this part of Europe, has great potential, for example, in the production of batteries, their components and recycling.  Poland is also a key player when it comes to the production and registration of electric city buses. In addition, within the framework of CEE GTI, PSPA, SEVA and partners, will work together to shape the legal basis for the successful establishment of green transportation in the CEE region.

– Electrification and decarbonization of road transportation are a key part of our plan for a green Europe. However, there are many different challenges ahead, which is why projects like the Green Transport Initiative are so important. Industry representatives in Central and Eastern Europe know the local conditions and recognize the enormous potential in the region. It is important that your voice is heard in Brussels – said Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President for Inter-Institutional Relations and Forecasting at the announcement of the establishment of the CEE Green Transport Initiative by PSPA and SEVA.

Last year, Europe took the global lead in terms of electric car sales, overtaking China. As Maroš Šefčovič pointed out , by the end of the decade we will need 3 million charging points, and it is very important that they are distributed evenly. According to the AFIR regulation, the heavy vehicle charging network in Europe is to be significantly expanded by 2025. In the TEN-T core network, charging stations are to be located every 60 km or so, and the minimum output should be 1,400 kW. Five years later, this level is to be increased to 3,500 kW. For the TEN-T comprehensive network, charging stations are to be located at a maximum of every 100 km, and the aforementioned capacities are to be reached in 2030 and 2035, respectively. Plans and assumptions in the expansion of the charging network should be set based on the current state, given the much slower pace of electromobility development in the Central and Eastern European region, compared to Western Europe.

– Registration of new cars with internal combustion engines is to be banned in the European Union starting in 2035. Car manufacturers, like the European Parliament, are following a path aimed at rapidly reducing CO2 emissions. The range of internal combustion cars will shrink year by year, while at the same time the number of available electric models is growing rapidly. Everything points to the fact that in a dozen years or so not only will it be illegal to register a combustion car, but that such cars will simply not be sold. The Polish market, Polish society today are not ready for such a wide change. The mass transition to electric vehicles will not happen if their exploitation is inconvenient due to poor charging infrastructure. That’s why it’s extremely important that the political goals set by the European Parliament are supported by appropriate regulations in all member states – said Tomasz Tonder, director of PR and Corporate Affairs at Volkswagen Group Poland.