Romanian Ministry of Environment doubles the premium for the purchase of electric cars in 2017.
The Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests has announced the launch of the replacement car program for the period 2017-2019, with a 10,000 Euro incentive for the acquisition of a new electric car. Rabla Plus, the 2017 edition of the car replacement program implemented by the Ministry, adds an eco-premium for each electric car purchased.
So far, the Rabla program has aimed at enabling vehicle owners to get rid of their old polluting cars and replace them with more eco-friendly versions. Since 2005 (the first year of program implementation), the car fleet renewal program has seen a steady increase in the scrap premium, from EUR 650 in 2005, to EUR 1,450 in 2016. 2017 adds a new component to the existing program, the extra premium added for the vehicle owners who purchase an electric car.
Rabla Plus was launched in 2016, providing a EUR 5,000 premium for each electric car purchased. This year, the authorities decided to double the premium and allot a budget that covers the purchase of 1,000 electric cars at national level. The Rabla program – EUR 1,450 for the purchase of eco-friendly cars running on fossil fuels – will run in parallel. For the buyer to receive the EUR 10,000-premium (approximately 1/3 of the average car value), the car company/dealer must register with the Ministry of Environment by the end of the year in order to qualify for the next year’s program.
The use of electric cars is supported by Law 34/2017, on the installation of infrastructure for renewable fuels, which stipulates the installation of an adequate number of charging stations for electrical vehicles, in areas accessible to the public, in densely populated areas, as well as in other areas, if possible, by December 31st 2020.
The electric car models currently available and sold on the Romanian market are BMW (i3 and i8), Mitsubishi iMiEV, Renault Zoe, Renault Twizy, Kangoo Z.E. or Volkswagen e-Up. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 1,000 Tesla Model 3 cars have been reserved in Romania, since last year.
