Interest in Electric Car Grant Middling
The state credit and export guarantee fund KredEx has received 12 applications for the 18,000-euro grant promised to the first 500 buyers of an electric car.
From mid-July, both private and legal persons can apply for a state subsidy covering up to 50 percent of the price of an electric car, but not more than of 18,000 euros.
"The number of applicants could of course be higher. But indeed, this technology is still unfamiliar and also expensive," Mirja Alder, head of the agency’s housing and energy efficiency division, told Postimees, adding that another major factor is the narrow selection of different electric car models currently available in Estonia.
According to her, people have shown a lot of interest towards electric cars, yet many potential buyers are still waiting for the winter to see how the already purchased vehicles will handle the Estonian climate.
In addition to the subsides, financed by the sale of carbon credits to Mitsubishi Corporation, the state also purchased 507 electric cars, which are currently being distributed among social workers. The construction of a nationwide network of charging stations is also on the agenda.
Ingrid Teesalu