The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, will present tomorrow the Electromobility Promotion Plan in Cyprus, which aims to encourage the market for vehicles with zero or low emissions and the use of alternative transportation methods.

As Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis stated, the plan's purpose is to promote the market for vehicles with zero or low emissions, specifically targeting a reduction in environmental impacts from transport. This includes reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gaseous pollutants emissions.

The promotion of electromobility is part of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works' General Policy Framework for the Promotion of the Use of Electric Vehicles and Cyprus' National Energy and Climate Plan. According to this framework, the goal is that by 2030, 25% of new vehicle registrations will be purely electric, increasing to 100% by 2035.

The Spokesperson mentioned that, according to the Statistical Service, there has been an increase in the number of registrations of vehicles powered by the electrical grid.

>>Green Giants Unleashed: Electric, Hybrid, or Hydrogen Vehicles?<<

Specifically, in 2023, there were 995 registrations of electric saloon cars compared to 512 in 2022, an increase of 94.34%, and an increase of 1175% compared to 2020, when only 78 electric saloon cars were registered. In 2023, there were also 273 registrations of electric motorcycles compared to 192 in 2022, and 40 electric buses were registered, a category with no registrations in 2021 and 2022 and just one in 2020.

The percentage of electric vehicles in total registrations was 0.69% in 2020, 0.89% in 2021, 2.19% in 2022, and reached 2.91% in 2023. The data shows an increase in the use of electric means, adding that considering the plan started in January 2022, its contribution to the significant increase in purely electric cars and plug-in hybrids is evident. However, there's still a way to go to meet the 2030 target.

The third call for proposals will be implemented in 2024 - 2025, with a budget of €36 million, bringing the total project budget to €53 million. The plan is funded by the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Facility, as part of Cyprus' Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The Spokesperson noted that the third call significantly increases the grant amount for categories involving vulnerable population groups, compared to the first and second calls. Specifically, the plan includes special categories for beneficiaries of disability vehicles and large families, both for retiring old polluting vehicles and purchasing new low CO2 emission vehicles (up to 50 g/km) in the M1 (saloon) category, and for grants to purchase new zero CO2 emission vehicles in the M1 (saloon) category.

For retiring and purchasing low CO2 emission vehicles, the grant amount increases to €15,000 from €10,000 (first and second calls), and for purchasing zero CO2 emission vehicles, the grant amount increases to €20,000 from €12,000 (first and second calls). These increases apply to both population groups mentioned above.

Furthermore, Mr. Letympiotis said that the grant amount for purchasing new zero-emission CO2 taxi vehicles has increased to €20,000 from €15,000 in the previous plan.

"With the implementation of the above call, it is expected that there will be further momentum in the penetration of these vehicles into Cyprus' vehicle fleet. Simultaneously, it will provide an opportunity for individuals in the above-mentioned population groups to acquire environmentally friendly vehicles that require low operating costs," he concluded.