“While striving to implement the EU Green Deal targets and promoting sustainable mobility, our immediate goal is to significantly improve the conditions for electric transport in Lithuania. Within the next three years, by the end of 2024, we are planning to increase the number of public and semi-public charging points for electric cars by 11 times, and 15 times by 2027. Electric car usage should not be limited by the lack of infrastructure. This is our primary goal,” the Minister said.
Public and semi-public electric cars charging points will be installed in gas stations, bus and train stations, ports, urban areas, at national and local roads. Currently, there are 360 such charging points in Lithuania, and by the end of 2024 their number should sky-rocket to around 3960, i. e. increase 11-fold. It is estimated that with the help of diverse funding resources, the number of charging points should exceed 7000 by the end of 2027.
The expansion of electric cars charging points network is to be funded from the EU investment funds, EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds, as well as funds from Sustainable Mobility Fund and other resources. Municipalities, natural and legal persons will be encouraged to exploit these investment opportunities.
EU decisions regarding funding approval and drafting of funding conditions should be made by the end of this year. This means that next year, electric cars charging points installation works can be started along with launching promotion activities for their funding. A total of around EUR 70 million from the RRF and EU funds is to be allocated for the installation of public and semi-public charging point by the end of 2027.
Based on the Law on Alternative Fuels, the municipalities are to draft their electromobility infrastructure plans by 1 January 2022. This planning measure is to become the basis for municipalities to request funds to expand electric cars charging points infrastructure; it will also encourage businesses to use investment opportunities and to install charging points in locations, where, according to municipalities, such points are most needed or considered a priority. These plans will have to be made public and updated at least every 3 years.
Currently, there are 6440 electric cars registered in Lithuania. 3720 of those vehicles are purely electric and 2720 are plug-in hybrid cars. This constitutes 0.4 percent of the countries’ car fleet. Our goal is to increase the number of electric cars and other zero-emission alternative fuel cars to 20 percent of the entire car fleet by 2030.
