Good practice:

Romania provides funds for the development of the electric vehicle charging network

Private transport, using gasoline or diesel powered cars, is the main producer of CO2 and NOX emissions in urban areas. These emissions gradually cause deterioration of air quality, having a negative impact on health of the inhabitants, in Bucharest and big cities where high levels of emissions are frequently encountered.
The initiative implemented by AFM involves the financing of the projects submitted by the local authorities or economic operators wishing to install electric charging points for full electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The program covers the financing for the following eligible expenses: the acquisition of charging stations, installation costs, dissemination costs and other necessary fees.
The financing is differentiated depending on the capacity of the installed charging station and can be up to about 185.000 EUR per project, representing up to 80% of the eligible expenses:
- up to 2,200 EUR for a low capacity charging station;
- up to 32,500 EUR for a high capacity charging station in direct current;
- up to 2,800 EUR for a high capacity charging station in alternating current.
The program is addressed to local public entities within towns and cities with over 50,000 inhabitants or private companies whose headquarters are in these cities or near the main national roads or highways.

The resources will be provided by Romanian Government through the Environmental Fund Administration – from Environmental fund, having as main priority the financial support for the implementation of environmental protection projects.

Until the end of 2019, some projects were approved for the financing of 150 charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Private operators are the main beneficiaries of this initiative, given that they host 90% of the charging points installed by the programme, the remaining percentage being made up of public institutions. Given the already approved funding situation, structured on the three types of charging points, there are sufficient funds to finance another 450 stations.

Air pollution is not a local issue because the harmful substances released in one country may be transported in the atmosphere, contributing to or resulting in poor air quality in the EU. Authorities in other countries can support such local or regional initiatives and make available these funding lines, which are necessary for the infrastructure so useful for sustainable mobility in the region. This type of initiative will be very successful in countries where the GDP per capita is high and also in other countries in the coming years, as the price difference between conventional and electric cars or plug in hybrid will decrease.