EPBiH installs 6 e-chargers, buys 6 electric vehicles

Public power utility Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine (EPBiH) has installed six EV chargers and purchased 6 electric vehicles (EVs). The company now has 7 EV chargers and 8 EVs in total.

EPBiH has recognized the importance of electromobility development in BiH. Following the first e-charger located outside of its Sarajevo headquarters, the company installed another 6 AC e-chargers near the power distribution facilities in Bihać, Goražde, Mostar, Travnik, Tuzla and Zenica. During the promotional phase, charging at these public EV chargers will not be billed.

By developing and promoting electromobility, EPBiH, as a socially responsible company, contributes to improving the quality of air and the environment, which is a major problem in BiH cities, especially during the winter period, the company said.

Adnan Bosović, a member of the EPBiH electromobility development team, said that the cost of electricity for EVs owned by EPBiH averages BAM 1.6 /100 km (EUR 0.8/100 km), which is a few times less than the cost of petrol or diesel for vehicles with similar performance. Maintenance costs are also significantly lower than for diesel or petrol vehicles.

As the largest producer and supplier of electricity in the country, EPBiH’s activities in electromobility are a logical move because this sector is a new source of demand for electricity, which must be anticipated and enabled in a proper way, said Suada Penava, head of the EPBiH electromobility development team.

In order for BiH to follow the development of this sector in the EU countries, it is necessary to establish a supportive regulatory framework that includes the customs and tax policy, spatial planning and construction, connection of charging stations to the electricity grid, and measures to subsidize the purchase of EVs.

Through the association for electromobility at the FBiH Chamber of Commerce, EPBiH actively participates in initiating regulatory changes in this sector.