We are working to promote electric mobility in Bulgaria, said Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov during the opening of the round table “Transport of the future - clean energy at a fair price.” The event was organized by the head of the delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament Petar Vitanov and the Automotive Cluster Bulgaria.

Deputy Prime Minister Sandov pointed out that the electromobility reform was included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan and that he was appointed responsible for coordinating policies for the development of electromobility in Bulgaria. “The construction of charging infrastructure and electrification of vehicles will be accelerated, which will bring Bulgaria closer to the European long-term goals for greenhouse gas emissions reduction. “Air pollution and urban noise pollution will be reduced by introducing low-emission zones in central city parts,” he added.

The minister said 10 000 charging stations should be built so everyone can charge their electric car. “This will create a dense charging network that focuses on the main areas where charging stations are needed, including 20-30 fast charging hubs on major roads. Public charging points for electric cars will be built in the central parts of more than 50 cities, as well as in large residential areas,” he said.

According to the minister, by 2026 the goal is to have at least 30 000 electric vehicles in Bulgaria. By comparison, by the end of 2020, there were only 3 000. He added that these numbers refer to new electric cars, but the secondary market is also evolving, so there will also be “second-hand” vehicles.

Deputy Prime Minister Sandov announced that a law on promoting electric mobility in Bulgaria will be drafted. “Within this quarter we are creating a specialized commission for the development and encouragement of electric mobility, which will prepare a model of simplified regulation to encourage the construction of charging stations and in the fall, together with all stakeholders, we will create a long-term vision for the new law”.

“30% of fine particulate matter pollution in urban areas is caused by transport. Low-emission zones should be introduced in at least three Bulgarian cities with population coverage of at least 1.5 million citizens,” said Minister Sandov, adding that Bulgaria in general has drastically reduced greenhouse emissions compared to the 1988 baseline, but these have increased by 40% in the transport sector for the same period.

“I believe that in a few years we will see a new and lasting positive trend in electric mobility and I will work to make this happen,” said Minister Sandov.