MINSK, 26 January (BelTA) – By the end of 2023 electric vehicles accounted for nearly 56% of public transport in Minsk vs. about 40% five years ago, Chairman of the Minsk City Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Valentin Shatravko said at the final meeting of the committee, BelTA has learned.
The share of EVs is constantly growing. The city plans to buy electric buses and trolleybuses with an increased autonomy run (there are 323 of them in the capital city now).
Valentin Shatravko remarked that Belarus is committed to phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances, as agreed in the Montreal Protocol. There is also a positive trend in reducing air pollution from vehicles in the capital city.
"Despite being a large industrial hub, Minsk contributes insignificantly to the total amount of emissions from industrial enterprises. Transport remains the main source of air pollution; it accounts for 80% of emissions. Enterprises contribute only 20%,” said Valentin Shatravko.
In 2023, the work to expand the network of urban electric transport continued. The third line of the Minsk metro is under construction, electric charging stations are installed and a network of bicycle lanes is extended.
