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What kind of boost does electromobility in Poland need?

“Walka o klimat” (Fight for the Climate) is an ongoing project launched by the editorial team of Rzeczpospolita – the most opinion-forming daily in Poland – in 2017. In the previous editions, participants dealt with issues such as circular economy in Poland or proper management of raw materials. This year’s edition focuses on new power industry architecture. At the end of April, Paweł Choduń took part in one of the scheduled debates, dedicated to broadly-defined electromobility. The editor conducting the meeting, Michał Niewiadomski, asked the participants whether electromobility had the chance to function properly in Poland and support the country in reaching the objectives set by the European Union in terms of decarbonization by 2050. The invited guests, including Marcin Korolec, President of the Electric Vehicles Promotion Foundation (FPPE), Maciej Mazur from the Polish Alternative Fuels Association (PSPA), Jakub Faryś, President of the Polish Automotive Industry Association (PZPM), and Bartłomiej Derski from the WysokieNapęcie.pl portal, outlined a broad perspective on electric private and public transport not only in Poland, but also across the world.

Passenger cars and heavy goods vehicles without electricity?

The debate clearly shows that one cannot equate electric private transport with electric public transport. As the guests argued, charging infrastructure for private passenger cars is not used in Poland, as there are too few of such vehicles. Hence the development of this sector of the electromobility industry needs support, which would make the purchase of an electric car cost-effective and travel by such cars convenient. Interestingly, the experts pointed out that electric cars are the most popular among owners of single-family houses equipped with photovoltaic systems. They are in the best position, as they can easily charge their cars at home almost for free, which cannot be said about urban dwellers. Travel both around and between urbanized areas is still difficult due to the low range of these vehicles. Another interesting point of the debate was the issue of neglect in the logistics and heavy goods transport sectors. The invited experts stressed that currently, there are no ready solutions for the impressive Polish heavy goods vehicle fleet of nearly a million vehicles, and the first electric trucks are still in the testing phase. Moreover, charging infrastructure for vehicles of this type is completely non-existent. This is surely the greatest challenge in the global development of electromobility.

An eco-friendly transport tycoon

An entirely opposite image of electric public transport was presented by Paweł Choduń, Vice-President at MEDCOM. He not only confirmed Poland’s international status as a leader in the eco-friendly transport sector, but also reminded the participants that investment in electric buses, trams, and trains is what will make it possible to limit carbon dioxide emissions the soonest and come closer to reaching the set objectives by 2050.

“At MEDCOM, we have the knowledge and resources to change the contemporary concept of a transportation system and adapt it to the “sustainable” future. Our aim is to make it possible for public transport to provide greater comfort and convenience of travel to urban dwellers, taking into account the best interest of the natural environment. We are already producing innovations of this type, often on a global scale, while at the same time constantly developing technologies.”

You can watch the entire debate on the Rzeczpospolita daily’s YouTube channel.

*Source: klimat.rp.pl