Number of electric vehicles in Serbia reaches 6,000

There are about 6,000 registered electric vehicles in Serbia, according to Filip Mitrović, coordinator of the Emobility cluster of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PKS).

The fleet of 6,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in Serbia is small compared to Europe, Filip Mitrović stressed at the Belgrade Energy Days conference, as quoted by Tanjug. He also identified two obstacles to further growth.

First of all, regulatory inconsistencies make it impossible to accurately charge for the electricity consumed by electric vehicles at charging stations. Billing is currently based only on the duration of e-charger use, rather than the actual amount of electricity consumed, he added.

Complex documentation is required to install an electric charger

He underlined that there is no legal way to charge for the electricity consumed per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, a time-based charging method is used for electric vehicles.

“That’s not fair,” he said, and added that anyone who has used an EV knows it is standard to be charged based on the amount of electricity consumed. Mitrović noted that different models of EVs draw varying amounts of energy from the e-charger in the same period.

The second problem, in his words, is the procedure for the installation of EV chargers. Very often, complex documentation is required, which slows down and complicates the entire process, making investors give up on the project, Mitrović stressed.

In recent years, the Government of Serbia has been awarding subsidies for what it officially calls “ecological vehicles.” Last year, it decided to stop subsidizing hybrid (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) electric vehicles and to provide funding only for 100% EVs or battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Subsidies were granted for approximately 3,300 vehicles

The criteria remained the same this year. On August 8, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said it ended approving subsidies for the purchase of new EVs for 2025. All the allocated funds have been granted, it explained.

However, the government then secured more money and resumed the procedure on August 28.

In mid-September, the ministry said that the government backed the purchase of 2,834 eco-friendly vehicles since 2020. With the applications received this year, the number has reached 3,305.