(source: Sme)
One cleantech solution involves the development and use of low-emission vehicles (LEVs), including electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
Some Slovak-based firms are considering the concepts of LEVs, but the development of these vehicles is a domain of large manufacturers like Volkswagen, said Radoslav Mizera, partner at Solved – The Cleantech Company, a Finnish-Slovak cleantech advisory service.
Nevertheless, the interest in using these cars is going up in Slovakia, albeit slowly, according to Aaron Fishbone from the GreenWay Infrastructure company, which operates 113 electric charging stations in Slovakia and Poland.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are more expensive than traditional cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs), including gasoline and diesel, he said. There are not many models to choose from in Slovakia.
“There are only a few for sale here, such as the Nissan LEAF, Volkswagen eUP, Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3,” Fishbone told The Slovak Spectator.
The availability and endurance of such cars is growing and prices are falling, according to Fishbone. Air pollution is worsening and regulations are getting tighter, so the push for low emission vehicles is strong and will continue.
“The trends are positive, especially considering what is going on around us in the rest of Europe,” Fishbone said.
About one half of companies
By now, there are about 800 EVs in Slovakia, according to the statistics of Greenway Infrastructure. While the company has around 1,000 customers, slightly less than half of them are firms.
