Estonia’s Ministry of the Environment will soon present an initiative that will make electric cars more attractive and promote zero emissions policy. Experts say that Estonia is prepared for this, all that is left is changing people’s habits and general attitude towards electric vehicles, ERR News writes.
Last week the European Parliament decided to prohibit sales of vehicles fitted with internal combustion engines from 2035 onward. European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said this decision is too early and will cause enormous damages to the motor industry. At the same time, Estonian residents are positive about using electric cars. They do not believe these vehicles should be a privilege for the rich.
«These myths have long since been busted as completely ordinary people are buying electric vehicles. And there is a very simple explanation for that. People look at monthly expenses these days. It does not matter how much the vehicle costs, just how much you have to spend on it each month,» said Silver Havamaa, head of sales and marketing for a dealership.
The first electric cars reached Estonia’s market ten years ago, and many still believe electric cars are not very reliable. Experts say that both cars and their batteries will improve with time, adding that their reliability should not be doubted anymore. Unfortunately, manufacture of batteries remains a very time-consuming process. Another problem with wider use of electric cars is the need for a reliable recharging infrastructure.
«This is two-pronged. First, you have the question of power and energy in terms of Estonia’s capacity to generate it. I believe we have nothing to fear in that regard. The other is the grid’s capacity for facilitating chargers in particular locations. The simplest and cheapest option would be to see where existing capacity is greatest and build chargers there,» ERR News was told by Ivo Palu, professor of energy at TalTech University.
Although Estonians like their cars, climate goals mean giving public transport options and shared trips a chance.
«If we can coordinate movement: public transport, scooters, carpooling etc. then I sincerely hope we will not need massive parking lots complete with charging infrastructure. It will need to happen in some other way ten years from now. I believe that while every building can have a charging station in the future, I really cannot see us running around dragging wires, looking for suitable parking spaces in the snow,» Palu said.
But the seemingly flawless solution does beg the question: just how green electric cars truly are?
Arno Sillat, AMTEL executive manager, said that «an electric vehicle sports a considerable environmental footprint – much bigger than an ICE vehicle. If we say that an ICE vehicle weighs this much, we can basically add the weight of batteries to that in terms of EVs – let’s say 500 kilograms. All of it needs to be manufactured after being extracted from the earth. Producing an EV requires around 20 tons of soil to be overturned for the necessary materials». However, unlike cars that sport internal combustion engines, once they are off the conveyor line, electric cars no longer produce pollution, equalising their initially considerable footprint.
More and more electric cars appear on the roads in Estonia, most of them Nissan, Mitsibishi and Audi. The Ministry of the Environment has a campaign planned to promote the use of electric cars. Although the new support system will not offer EUR 5 000 for the purchase of electric cars, as was the case in the previous offer, it will be more simplified and accessible.
More on this topic: Sales of vehicles with internal combustion engines to cease in Europe in 2035