State to end electric car subsidies

The State is to end its subsidies to encourage people to buy electric vehicles, instead choosing to reduce energy costs when recharging car batteries.

So far the State has a package of subsidies worth €5.2 million but these subsidies will not be available in the next State Budget.
In an interview with Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios, the secretary of State for Urban Mobility, Jorge Delgado explained that the levels of electric car purchases showed that the decision to buy had little to do with State incentives and that the subsidies made available would never be able to keep pace with the demand.
The Government intends to replace the incentive by measures that reduce the costs of recharging electric vehicles.
Electric car sales in Portugal increased by 55% in 2022 and are projected to increase a further 35% overall in 2023.
In March this year the purchase of electric vehicles rose by 88% like-for-like. According to the secretary of State the Government will reduce the charges from recharging vehicles and streamline licensing processes to boost the number of charging posts with so many investors interested in entering the Portuguese market.
Currently 30 charging posts are being created a week. In 2023, Jorge Delgado says the Government aims for 40-50 a week.

Photo: Michael Marais – Unsplash.