[RT4] Debating on e-mobility situation in Slovenia

Can we be satisfied with the current situation in the field of e-mobility?

Members of the round table session, on the event in Bled, 12th of June 2019, had answered to the pending question mostly with yes.

As Iztok Štrukelj said from the Arriva transport company, it is crucial that the debate on alternative mobility includes all actors involved in the changes in a given area, including, of course, the energy sector.

Jurij Curk of Elektro Ljubljana said that only the first step was taken and there is not so much of electric vehicles in general to influence the network - unlike, for example, heat pumps. 

Matjaž Vrčko from the Ministry of Infrastructure further considered that electromobility is intensifying, but he said that the price of electric vehicles is still too high. This was agreed by Jasna Pecjak from Metron, who expects the e-vehicle prices to drop significantly in the near future - as the prices of mobile phones have fallen, for example.

Among the advantages of e-mobility, she also highlighted the practicality - not just for the cars, but also for e-bicycles and e-vessels which do not cause greenhouse gas emissions and noise. In addition, e-bikes are very practical also for demanding routes and ventures, she said.

Alternative mobility brings completely new dimensions of action

Asked about the motivation for the transition to e-mobility, Iztok Štrukelj significantly replied: "Can we afford not to change?" As Darko Levičar from the ACS Economic Association Association, Slovenian Automobile Cluster, said: "We are too often hostages to our own habits, which do not lead to serious changes".

He expects that, in the future, mobility will be dominated by a mix of new solutions and technologies; "In addition to electric vehicles, we will also see hybrids of gas and other fuels and we will also see new solutions, such as vehicle sharing and the like." He mentioned the need for cross-sectoral integration and, in general, a move towards finding a solution that would include a holistic approach. In planning future mobility, we must, for example, consider the health aspect. ACS, he said, is talking with very different players from all possible areas, so the whole car industry gets a whole new dimension of operation.

If we want new alternatives in transport, we need concrete incentives for this, concluded Matjaž Vrčko from the Ministry of Infrastructure and added that in this regard, the needs of people should be kept in mind. Last but not least, the participants agreed, players in a given area today are striving to "sell something that is inherently harder to sell."

In the final part of the debate, Andrej Pecjak added that GEN-I already offers a 'package of energy services' instead of just supplying electricity.