[NEWS] BSC: Progress of e-mobility in Slovenia 2022

The Slovenian national commitments for e-mobility are due in 2030. How well have we done in coming closer to the EU commitments in 2021?   

In January 2022 there are no regular, 10 or 12 meter long, electric or hydrogen buses driving in Slovenia. The procedures of electric buses’ purchase are in the process and if all goes well, the first buses on the regular city lines are expected in the second half of this year, at least in two cities. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning held its promise to issue a call for subventions for electric buses for municipalities at the end of 2021. City municipality Kranj, in Gorenjska region, has, consequently, already started the procedure for gaining the subventions to purchase 6 electric 12 meter buses.

The Slovenian railroads gained at the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 29 new trains, from which 10 are electric double-deckers, 13 single-floor electric passenger trains and 6 are diesel. The plan by 2024 is to buy additional 72 new trains.

The number of newly registered personal electric vehicles was at the end of 2021 less than 2000 vehicles. The data by Vehicle section, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, published in a City Magazine, in January 2022, show that 1689 electric cars were sold. Among these vehicles sold are quite a few testing vehicles from Volkswagen dealers, reports Jan Macarol (City Magazine, 2022). Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia issued a report in 2021 on the registered road motor vehicles and trailers in Slovenia for the year of 2020. The number of registered electric vehicles was below 4000 and the number of hybrid electric vehicles was around 9.000. This means that even though in the total count of battery electric and hybrid electric vehicles we are in 2022 over the number of 10.000 vehicles, we are far from the goal of 200.000 battery electric vehicles by 2030.

“Changes happen at the policy level as well. In the case of legal entities, it is possible to deduct VAT paid in 2022 (after 23 January 2022) on the purchase of a vehicle and claim a 40% investment relief for the purchase of an electric vehicle. In addition, such vehicles are exempt from certain other duties”. (J. Macarol, 2022) In the beginning of January 2022, Eco Fund announced that the subsidy of 4,500 Euros for the purchase of an electric vehicle for legal entities is being abolished. The interpretation of the motor vehicle tax law can be understood that there are no bonuses for the companies for using electric cars in terms of input VAT deduction, writes Macarol. This means that the purchase of an electric car is for companies now more expensive than it was.

The market take up of e-vehicles in Slovenia is slowing down also due to issues of car manufacturers, namely the crisis of semiconductors. The waiting times for electric vehicles’ deliveries prolonged. The good fact for Slovenia, as well as for other countries, is the offer of electric vehicles which is expanding.