At the end of November, there were more than 8,200 electric cars in Poland, the Puls Biznesu newspaper has reported.

If last year's growth rate is maintained, their number is expected to grow by at least another 7,000 this year, the daily added.

Although interest in electric cars in Poland is growing rapidly, they still represent 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 lack of infrastructure for fast charging, the paper reported.

Fifty-eight percent of automotive manufacturers in Poland say that vehicles fitted with internal combustion engines will remain the first choice of domestic drivers, according to a study by car part supplier Exact Systems.

A survey conducted by the Polish Alternative Fuels Association (PSPA) shows that 28 percent of Poles will consider buying an electric car within the next three years, while 76 percent said their decision would depend on receiving a subsidy.

The association’s Jan Wiśniewski said: “The main factor that will potentially accelerate the development of electromobility in Poland may be future subsidies from the Low Emissions Transport Fund.”

In Romania, a government subsidy programme led to a 221.8-percent increase in electric car sales last year, according to Puls Biznesu. That was the second-largest hike among EU countries, after Denmark, the paper reported.

(aba/gs)

Source: Puls Biznesu