Bulgaria Incentivizes electric Vehicle Adoption with New Regulations & Infrastructure Mandates
SOFIA, Bulgaria – New legislation in Bulgaria aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) through a combination of financial incentives for owners and mandatory infrastructure development for municipalities. The measures, driven by concerns over Bulgaria’s aging and polluting vehicle fleet – approximately 80% of cars are over 15 years old and over 85% run on gasoline or diesel – seek to reach a national total of 30,000 EVs by mid-next year.
The initiative includes several key provisions designed to stimulate EV purchases. These include funds and tools like the National Trust EcoFund and investment programs specifically for climate-related electric vehicle projects. Vehicle tax will be differentiated based on vehicle type (cars vs. trucks) and perhaps exempted under the Local Taxes and Fees Act. Furthermore, tax relief will be offered based on a vehicle’s environmental category during periodic technical inspections.
State support will also be directed towards the construction of EV charging stations, including granting usage rights for both public and private state-owned land. Municipal councils are empowered to offer free or preferential parking for electric vehicles.
However, the legislation also introduces a “normative” obligation for local authorities. municipalities will be required to install publicly accessible fast-charging stations with a minimum output of 22 kW. The number of required stations scales with population: municipalities with over 5,000 residents must have at least one, regional centers at least three, cities exceeding 100,000 residents a minimum of five, and cities over 1,000,000 residents a minimum of 60 stations.
Mayors will be responsible for integrating publicly accessible charging infrastructure for both light and heavy electric vehicles into street networks, municipal buildings, and detailed development plans for public areas. Legislators cited a lack of “effective measures for the sustainable development of transport” in recent decades as justification for the new regulations.