The development of electromobility in Poland is dynamically growing each year, but compared to more developed markets such as the Netherlands, China, and the USA, we still trail significantly. Meanwhile, the development of this sector could become a new engine of Polish economic growth in the coming years, especially considering that the total global investment in zero-emission transportation by 2050 is estimated at 53 trillion dollars. “The government should make every effort to funnel as much of these funds into Poland,” emphasized the signatories of the “Seven for Electromobility”, signed during the New Mobility Congress taking place in Łódź. The document pointed out the most vital demands meant to support the domestic market of zero-emission transport and transform Poland into a leading production hub of the electromobility sector.
“We are approaching 50 thousand electric vehicles on Polish roads and several thousand public charging points. Of course, compared to the market leaders in electromobility, we are only at the beginning, but these numbers prove that the Polish e-mobility sector has taken a substantial leap in the last year,” Maciej Mazur, the managing director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association and organizer of the New Mobility Congress, stated.
As shown by the “Electromobility Counter”, launched by the Polish Alternative Fuels Association and the Polish Automotive Industry Association, at the end of August, nearly 85 thousand passenger cars were registered in Poland. Out of these 43.5 thousand were fully electric vehicles (BEVs), and 41.3 were plug-in hybrids. The number of electric delivery trucks and lorries was around 5 thousand; BEVs accounted for 99% of them. In total, just over 48.53 thousand completely electric cars and utility vehicles are registered in Poland. Only in the first eight months of this year, their number increased by 15.13 thousand units, a 67% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
“Poland is still chasing leading markets in both the sale of electric passenger cars and delivery vehicles. However, the number of registrations in both sectors is steadily growing. In light of trends and EU regulations, both the administration and the sector should focus strongly on supporting the decarbonization of heavy road transport. It is a crucial sector of the Polish economy, and we must do everything to remain a European leader in the TSL [Transport-Shipping-Logistics] industry. To enable Polish transport companies to electrify their fleets, subsidies, regulatory changes, and infrastructure development are essential,” says Maciej Mazur.
Statistics show that the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles is slowly but consistently developing in Poland. At the end of August, we had a little over 3 thousand publicly available electric vehicle charging stations (6 thousand charging points), exactly 1/3 of which were fast direct current (DC) charging stations. Fifty new chargers became available in August alone. However, nearly half of them are concentrated in a dozen or so of the largest cities. There are more charging stations in Warsaw alone than in Świętokrzyskie, Lublin, Lubuskie, Podlasie, and Podkarpacie provinces combined. This clearly indicates that when it comes to best practices, market development, and the number of electric cars on the roads, Poland still has a long way to go compared to more developed markets. As emphasized by the director of PSPA, we should take advantage of the experiences matured in those markets.
“First and foremost, we can pattern our solutions based on solutions implemented in highly advanced electromobility markets, like the Netherlands, China, and the United States. Also, the countries of our region have already done some work on many fronts, and we can draw from it. After analyzing all these solutions, we should think about a strategy that will determine priority areas and fill them with content,” assesses an expert.
It is crucial to mention that electromobility and the transformation of the transport sector towards zero-emission can become one of the drivers of Polish economic growth in the coming years. It will translate into technological development, massive investments, new regulations, and the mass electrification of fleets and parks of electric vehicles, as well as increased business awareness in sustainable development.
This week, representatives of the Polish e-mobility industry appealed to the government for the implementation of urgent actions that will allow Poland to take advantage of this opportunity. During the New Mobility Congress 2023 taking place in Łódź, they signed an open letter – “Seven for Electromobility” – in which they pointed out the most urgent demands concerning, among others, the increase in investment in research and development, renewable energy sources, infrastructure development, strengthening the position of Polish transport companies and training qualified staff, and supporting the domestic zero-emission transport market.
“The ‘Seven for Electromobility’ includes seven postulates, each equally important. If we were to indicate the main ones, it would be first and foremost the development of infrastructure – it is crucial for the development of both segments: electric passenger cars and utility vehicles, which are the lifeblood of the Polish economy. We are a European leader in logistics and need to decarbonize this sector,” says Maciej Mazur. “In addition, issues related to the production of both components and electric vehicles in our country are of utmost importance. If we want to become a market that determines the direction in Europe, it is paramount to support the transformation of the automotive industry. Today, Poland is a European leader in the production of lithium-ion batteries, but we must make sure that this position is maintained in the next decade and subsequent years. Lastly, an important point, education – we must reinforce Poland in terms of education, from primary classes, through technical universities, to graduate studies. The new mobility industry needs appropriately educated, qualified staff. ”
The “Seven for Electromobility” was signed last Wednesday by a wide range of signatories – from experts and representatives of the e-mobility industry to representatives of the central and local administration, industrial institutions, and business.
“These seven points will make electromobility the driving force of the Polish economy. However, to make it possible, we need to implement many mechanisms that will make this area indeed prioritized by key stakeholders, led by the public administration,” says the Managing Director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association.
Right now, the automotive industry is one of the pillars of the Polish economy. It accounts for 8 percent of GDP and 13.5 percent of annual exports. Total employment in the sector reaches 490,000 people, which is 7.6 percent of all industrial workers. This industry awaits revolutionary changes in the coming years, determining its future and creating completely new business perspectives. Especially as, according to data cited by PSPA, the sum total of global investments in the zero-emission transportation sector by 2050 is estimated at approximately 53 trillion dollars. As emphasized by the signatories of the “Seven for Electromobility”, the government should make every effort to ensure that as much of these funds as possible come to Poland.
“If all stakeholders undertake ambitious, hard work on the development of this sector, by 2035 the share of electromobility in Polish GDP could reach even 5 percent,” says Aleksander Rajch, a board member and external affairs manager of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association.
Experts point out that Poland already holds quite a few aces up its sleeve, which could make it a leading production hub of the electromobility sector in the coming years, provided the correct regulations and the implementation of the measures the industry is calling for. The strengths of the Polish industry also include experience and know-how in vehicle production, especially electric buses, charging stations, and components.
“New mobility is a broader subject than just electric vehicles. Of course, its bases are the decarbonization of road transport, and electromobility is clearly the most significant trend here. However, there are many more issues, as trends in the new mobility market not only aim to replace all internal combustion vehicles with zero-emission ones but also promote new methods of transportation, i.e., primarily multi-modality, shared mobility, and electric bikes, an increase in innovative rail transport, and a larger share of zero-emission public transport – these are all solutions we should develop,” enumerates Aleksander Rajch.
Electric vehicles, the battery sector, clean transport zones, electrification of corporate fleets, subsidy programs, zero-emission special vehicles, and EV fire safety are some of the topics discussed during the three-day New Mobility Congress that took place this week in Łódź. It is the largest conference of the sustainable transport sector in Central and Eastern Europe. This year, over 2,500 representatives of the e-mobility industry and speakers from all over the world participated, discussing key trends and challenges in the zero-emission transport sector.
“The New Mobility Congress 2023 was record-breaking in every aspect. The largest ever number of visitors, exhibitors, and – what gratifies us the most – substantive discussions. The conference program included 100 points covering virtually all the most important trends in new mobility; we discussed the necessary regulatory changes, the electrification of corporate fleets, lithium-ion batteries, the development of sustainable cities of the future, the significance of electromobility in ESG, and the most crucial areas of the electromobility industry in Poland. Discussions also revolved around the role of hydrogen in transport, adjustments to subsidy programs with public funds, EV fire safety, clean transport zones, electric special vehicles, smart charging technologies, the introduction of a national bicycle strategy, challenges of the electric power sector in the context of AFIR, and even electromobility in motorsports,” says Maciej Mazur.
