JN/DV
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Incentives to buy “clean” vehicles are running out. Budget foresees investment in 12 new ultra-fast charging stations.
Not another euro to help buy electric cars. The Government is moving away, for now, from increasing incentives for the purchase of emission-free vehicles, contrary to what Spain and France have done in recent weeks, in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
For this year, a total of four million euros was available for the purchase of cars, motorcycles and bicycles. For cars alone, there are 3.6 million euros, 950 thousand euros more than in 2019.
“It is a considerable investment”, defends Eduardo Pinheiro, Secretary of State for Mobility, in an interview with JN / Dinheiro Vivo. “The Portuguese Government was proactive. The climate crisis was not eliminated by Covid-19, which had a much smaller impact on sales of electric vehicles compared to combustion vehicles”, he adds.
But the demand is running out of incentives, which should happen even before the end of this semester. The 600 thousand euros for the purchase of cars by companies have already been exhausted because the 300 permitted applications have been accepted, according to data from Friday of the Environmental Fund.
Light commercials
There are also 2.1 million euros for private individuals to buy light vehicles: of the 700 “checks” available, more than two thirds (539) are already owned.
Less competitive are the support for light commercial vehicles: with a “baggage” of 900 thousand euros for 300 orders, only 24 applications have yet been accepted.
Eduardo Pinheiro recalls that the support model “allows the allocation of unused funds” to applications on hold, which usually happens later this year.
Car manufacturers like Portugal, Spain and France wasted no time and responded to the pandemic with more benefits: in Spain, there is support up to 6500 euros and that can still be reinforced with a regional incentive; the French support € 7000 in the purchase of an electric car.
Henrique Sánchez, leader of the Association of Electric Vehicle Users (UVE), defends that there should be money for all interested parties, with an “increase in the amount of incentives” and the granting of support “to all applications that meet the requirements”, without ceiling limit.
What incentives are there?
Although the cost of purchasing an electric car is still high for many pockets, there is support in the purchase and use of these vehicles. The State provides incentives of three thousand euros for the purchase of passenger cars and goods from private individuals; the companies also have a support of three thousand euros for the purchase of light commercial vehicles and two thousand euros for the purchase of passenger cars.
In cars, support is only given to cars that cost up to 62 500 euros. Those who buy an electric car are also exempt from paying vehicle tax.
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The Government will invest in infrastructure, with three million euros registered in the supplementary OE. “12 ultra-fast charging stations will be installed, in an investment of one million euros, in the most used communication routes. There are also two million euros for the creation of 10 charging hubs in the main cities”, details Eduardo Pinheiro.
Payments
To load the car, the user must have a contract with a dealer. But this situation may change in the future. “Mobi.E is developing a system to allow charging with the Multibanco card”, according to the Secretary of State for Mobility. If the measure is implemented, emigrants, tourists and other occasional users will also be able to use the charging stations.
3000 outlets
There are 40,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles circulating in Portugal that can use the 3000 charging sockets available on the public road, at public and private charging stations with free access. There are also private charging networks, such as the seven Tesla superchargers, reserved for owners of vehicles of this North American brand.
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