At the end of July this year, there were 70,579 electric passenger and commercial vehicles (BEVs) driving on Polish roads, according to data from the Polish Automobile Industry Association and the Polish Association for New Mobility. Despite the number of cars with green plates increasing, the share of electric vehicles in the new car sales is merely a few percent. This is one of the worst outcomes in the European Union. At the same time, car manufacturers speak of one of the greatest potentials for electric vehicles.
The Polish Automobile Industry Association (PZPM) and the Polish Association for New Mobility (PSNM) regularly monitor the electric car market, consistently updating their Electromobility Counter. From January to July 2024, the number of cars with green registration plates rose by 14,102 units, a 6% increase compared to the same period last year.
“Poland is one of the most electric-sceptical countries in the European Union. The share of electric vehicles is small, often not even reaching 3 percent of new car sales. At the same time, there is a large potential to sell more of these cars here. The key is to make these cars more accessible. The second issue is that the conditions for their purchase should be more stable and not change regularly over time”, Stanislaw Dojs of Hyundai Motor Poland told the Newseria Biznes news agency.
The perspectives for the development of the electric car market are getting better. According to PZPM and PSNM data, charging infrastructure is continually developing. At the end of July 2024, there were 7563 publicly accessible points at 4163 stations where you can recharge your electric car. Almost a third (29%) were fast direct current charging points. In July alone, 308 new ones were launched. The Powerdot Data Center’s new analysis shows that the average distance between the nearest charging stations in Poland is approximately 3.3 km, which takes about 5 minutes to traverse at a steady pace. However, there are still a few white spots with underdeveloped charging infrastructure on the map of Poland.
“In cities or traveling along the main traffic corridors in Poland, there is no problem with charging. The electric car is very versatile, often owners of single-family homes, and in Poland, half of the people live in single-family homes according to statistical data, can also charge these cars at night,” notes Stanislaw Dojs.
So where should we look for the biggest barriers to the sale of electric cars in Poland? Industry representatives point to changing conditions for purchasing these vehicles, specifically subsidies. This situation does not facilitate the decision to buy an electric car and impacts the market.
“People who plan to buy a car are delaying the decision until it is clear whether there will be subsidies or not,” explains the PR manager of the South Korean manufacturer. “Another thing is that manufacturers started the expansion of electric cars from more advanced, more expensive, and larger models, so the market was primarily lacking electrified small cars, cars from segment A. There were a few smaller models, but they often had adequate performance for car sharing, but insufficient for comfortable traveling. These were budget cars, weaker, slower, with shorter ranges.”
That’s why automotive companies are searching for a golden mean, a car that can lure Polish consumers. There’s a lot indicating that the needed vehicle is a city car at an attractive price.
“Automotive companies need to ‘fill in’ these gaps in their offering, that is, provide electric cars in the formats that are most wanted, including cheaper cars. However, corporations themselves can’t accomplish anything without government support, because besides all the automotive education, electric cars simply need to pay off for people,” says Stanislaw Dojs.
According to announcements from the NFOŚiGW and the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the enrollment in the My Electric program will probably resume from January 2025. The previous enrollment was suspended from 1st September due to the exhaustion of funds for this purpose.
As the expert underscores, a favorable environment for buyers is not only subsidy programs but also stable energy prices.
“Like any company, we strive to increase sales. We would like to have the sales of electric cars reach four-digit figures from three-digit ones. I hope that by the end of this year, we will break the sales record for electric cars and achieve an even bigger one next year,” highlights Stanislaw Dojs.
The corporation is also working on another ecological drive – hydrogen. However, according to the expert, it is not a technology that will quickly appear on a large scale on Polish roads.
“Zero-emission transport means not only light vehicles, but also heavy vehicles and all the experiences we gain on the Nexo model will pay off in the future, as we also assume many strategic partnerships, whether with Iveco or recently with Škoda. This is a direction we will hear more about. Hydrogen is not a segment we will see on the streets tomorrow or the day after, but it is a technology that has a chance to significantly increase the range of cars, especially those traveling long distances,” says the PR manager of Hyundai Motor Poland.
