Good practice:

Azorean incentive system for the acquisition of electric vehicles and charging stations

In the Azores, the costly initial investment in EV continues to be a challenge when implementing e-mobility. Additionally, there are some economic and social/cultural obstacles that need to be tackled.
The first financial incentive system for the acquisition of electric vehicles and charging stations in the Azores was established by the Regional Decree-Law no. 2/2020/A. This decree financially supported the acquisition of passenger cars, two-wheel motorcycles or mopeds, motorised tricycles or quadricycles, cycles with auxiliary motor and EV charging stations. The incentives could be increased through bonuses. They could be accumulated with others of a similar nature, as foreseen in national diploma. This means that, for passenger cars, the maximum amount was €6.900 for natural persons and €4.900 for artificial persons, €1.000 for two-wheel motorcycles or mopeds and, finally, €700 for cycles with auxiliary motor. Only the Azorean incentive system included motorised tricycles or quadricycles (up to €1.000) and charging stations (up to €500).
The Regional Directorate for Energy was the managing authority for both versions of these incentives. They have been promoted through strong dissemination campaigns on TV broadcasts and social media, among public and private stakeholders, as well as civil society in general. Fundo Ambiental was the managing authority for the national incentive system.

The budget allocated for this incentive system in 2020 was €500k.
Multidisciplinary team with energy and communication specialists (€20k/year)

For the previous incentive system, 151 applications were submitted, with a total of 107 of them being approved.
The analysis of the incentive system shows that a total of 117 units were financially supported, corresponding to €250.385,00.
Although it is still early to compare results between the two systems, so far this year 126 applications have been submitted, with a total of 91 of them being approved.

Initial investment continues to be a challenge for individuals/families and companies. Lack of information regarding EV autonomy continues to be a persisting challenge. Also, leasing has not been taken into consideration, presenting itself as a barrier.

This good practice can be easily replicated in other regions as long as it is adapted to local budget and dissemination practices.
Additionally, we have found that promoting awareness within each community strongly benefits everyone involved. This can be done through social media platforms, as well as through the formal training of electric mobility technicians to support EV users.
Working on a reliable public network of charging stations can be beneficial for many other regions as it promotes the use of electric vehicles while contributing towards the use of clean energy in electricity grid.