Despite high electricity prices, green transport is becoming more and more popular. Poland can also contribute to the development of global zero-emission transport as we are more and more willing to reach for automotive solutions that have been popular in the West for years.
According to the data of the Polish Automotive Industry Association and the Polish Alternative Fuels Association, at the end of July 2022, there were almost 53,000 registered electric vehicles in Poland. During the first 7 months of last year, the number of EVs increased by over 14,000 vehicles, i.e. 44% more than in the same period in 2021. This is a strong signal proving the pro-ecological attitude of Polish people.
“Greening” of transport
Ecology in transport will develop in the near future due to the tightening of EU environmental regulations. Their message focuses on the trend that all new cars and vans sold in the EU as of 2035 are to be zero-emission. Automotive giants, including Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Fiat, which plans to become a fully electric brand in Europe in a few years, are already prepared for such a scenario.
The EU plans for the development of zero-emission transport are very ambitious. The EU assumes that there will be as many as 30 million zero-emission passenger cars and 80,000 “green” trucks on its roads by 2030. However, a major problem is the fact that turning intentions into action requires a huge increase in the sales of electric vehicles!
Barriers to development
According to Fortune Business Insights, the value of the global EV market exceeded USD 287 billion in 2020, with a projected increase to USD 1.3 trillion by 2028. Unfortunately, green transport is not developing evenly in all EU countries. Although the Polish Automotive Industry Association and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association admitted that plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles constitute 10.5% of all new cars sold in the EU in 2021, as many as 10 countries of the Community had their market share lower than 3%.
The main barriers to the development of e-mobility are the high price of electric vehicles compared to ICEs and no infrastructure developed enough to allow the drivers to move around the country freely. Optimistic calculations can also be thwarted by, for example, China and India, which, following the example of Europe or the USA, wish to make transport more environmentally-friendly. As a result, the already limited resources of components necessary for the production of electric vehicles will be even more depleted.
The European Commission assumes that approx. 4 million EV charging points should appear in the EU by 2030. According to the industry, it is necessary to nearly double this number. Currently, there are only over 300,000 charging points in the EU; most of them in the Netherlands, France and Germany.
Ready for global competition
Poland can use its European potential as a leader in the manufacture of traction batteries used in electric vehicles on the green transport market. We can also emphasize our participation in the field of hydrogen solutions or autonomous drones. Unfortunately, unwillingness to take a risk associated with market uncertainty and long-term perspective of investment return is the main obstacle.
When developing e-mobility, it is important to remember about the thin line between development and deepening economic differences. Ceasing the production of ICE vehicles may result in “flooding” less affluent countries with used high-emission cars.
Miłosz Magrzyk
