SMOLEVICHI DISTRICT, 16 July (BelTA) - The number of electric vehicles in Belarus has increased to 4,000, Belarusian Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich said during an event to mark the Day of Electric Transport at the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone on 16 July, BelTA has learned.
“According to the latest data, the number of electric vehicles in Belarus now stands at 4,000. In H1 2021, a total of 2,112 electric vehicles were imported into our country. That was slightly more than in the whole year of 2020 (1,810 vehicles). Electricity consumption by charging stations has been growing. In January-May 2021 it totaled 3.8 million kWh, up by 23% year-on-year,” Viktor Karankevich said.
According to him, the year of 2020 clearly showed the global drive towards transport electrification. Last year, EV sales exceeded 3 million electric cards globally. Their total number exceeded 10 million. The International Energy Agency forecasts the global fleet of electric vehicles to grow to 145 million by 2030. The largest automakers have already announced their plans to discontinue the production of cars with an internal combustion engine. The fleet of urban electric vehicles is continuously renewed, which opens up new opportunities to improve customer service and reduce transport emissions. International think tanks project that the share of electric buses will grow to 30% by 2030.
“Our country is also interested in increasing electric mobility. The necessary conditions are being created and incentives have been offered to drive EV uptake. The promotion of electric transport, the expansion of the EV charging infrastructure network was named by the head of state as one of the priority tasks in the current five-year period. The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant opens up new opportunities for the industry to build its capacities,” the Energy Ministry noted.
The minister went on saying that it is important that not only individuals, but also businesses are beginning to switch to electric vehicles. “They can save a lot using electric transport. Gomelenergo is a case in point. It was one of the first electricity suppliers to implement a pilot project to renew its fleet using electric vehicles. The purchase of electric vehicles by other electricity suppliers is also under discussion,” he stressed.
Viktor Karankevich expressed confidence that electric transport holds a lot of promise and in the near future the demand for it will grow significantly, including in Belarus.
Photos by Andrei Pokumeiko
