Professional services company KPMG and the Polish Association of Automotive Industry said in their latest report that 4,500 plug-in hybrid cars were purchased in the country between January and June this year, marking a 226 percent increase in year-on-year terms.
Sales of fully electric vehicles grew by 119 percent, with 2,500 such cars sold in the first six months of 2021.
“Poland’s automotive sector is recovering from the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” the report said.
In January, the Puls Biznesu daily reported that although interest in electric cars in Poland was growing rapidly, they represented only 0.48 percent of all new cars sold in the country.
An electric vehicle is usually the second or third car in a wealthy family and is intended for urban driving, according to Puls Biznesu.
The key drawbacks of such cars are excessive costs of purchase and a lack of infrastructure for fast charging, the paper reported at the time.
As of July 12, Poles are able to apply for a government subsidy of almost PLN 19,000 (EUR 4,200, USD 5,000) when buying an electric car.
For families with a large number of children, a subsidy of PLN 27,000 is available.
Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management has earmarked PLN 500 million to subsidise purchases of electric and hydrogen vehicles under the initiative.
Deputy Climate and Environment Minister Ireneusz Zyska said that the aim of the programme was to reduce harmful emissions, develop environmentally-friendly transport and improve Poles’ quality of life.
(tf/gs)
Source: KPMG, Puls Biznesu