The electrification of the automobile is compelling and inevitable

September 17, 2019

UNDP Resident Representative Daniela Gasparikova with Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vukovic

The electrification of the automobile is compelling and inevitable

Today Podgorica got its first public Electric Vehicles charging station that will help develop a network of electric vehicle charging points in Montenegro. By the end of October two more will be installed in Podgorica, adding up to the total of 11 across the country.

‘’An easily accessible charging infrastructure is a prerequisite for the transition to electric vehicles as electrification and e-mobility solutions are key enablers for reducing CO2 emissions. The transportation sector accounts for almost one-quarter of the world's carbon emissions, making it an area where change is possible and necessary. Montenegro’s transport sector currently accounts for 20% of the national GHG emissions. If the GHG emissions continue to grow following the same dynamics, according to the predictions - they will make up to 30% of the national GHG emissions by 2030’’, said UNDP Resident Representative Daniela Gasparikova.

Electric mobility is an industrial choice as much as it is an environmental requirement. From a sustainability perspective, the environmental burden caused by transport must be reduced significantly.

Gasparikova added that ‘’Electric vehicles can help turn the tide on the GHG emissions and climate change, as they're becoming a part of the global response driven by innovators in the automobile industry. I believe that charging an electric car will soon become just as easy and casual as charging a smart phone. Putting Electric Vehicles charging stations in public spaces and making them is one of the preconditions for wider use of electric vehicles. Also, this year’s #EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign provides the perfect opportunity to present sustainable mobility alternatives to citizens and to explain the challenges that we are all facing. By investing in green infrastructure, we pave the way towards joint low carbon future as these Electric Vehicles charging stations are an important step toward lowering emissions and making electric vehicles a possible travel option for Montenegrins as well. UNDP will continue to support projects that will create green jobs, advance the country’s clean future and help Montenegro reach its domestic and international climate targets’’.

Mayor of Podgorica Ivan Vukovic said ‘’that there is no more significant topic than the topic of environmental protection. I think the Paris Agreement, which aims to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, is probably the most important document of our time, and I am very pleased that Montenegro is part of that story’’.

Director of the Directorate for EU Integration and International Cooperation Igor Gradjevic announced that the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, has already considered taking activities and measures together with other relevant Ministries in order to look at modalities such as electric car tax credits  and other incentives necessary to motivate citizens to buy electric vehicles.

UNDP and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism facilitated installation of the Electric Vehicles charging stations for municipalities and public institutions through the GEF funded Towards Carbon Neutral Tourism Project, while the beneficiaries’ prepared sites to install EV charging stations.