The charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Bulgaria is not well developed and this is hindering the development of the sector, participants in the “Electrical Industry 2024” forum commented. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Association of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (BASEL) and the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (BSMEPA).
Kalin Stoychev from “Finesse-2” drew attention to the fact that the regime for building charging stations for electric vehicles in the Sofia Municipality, for example, is permissive and can take up to 3 years to obtain a construction permit. According to him, this is the reason why Sofia does not have enough charging stations for existing cars.
“Municipalities are indebted to investors in charging infrastructure,” said Iliya Levkov, chairman of the board of the Electric Vehicles Industrial Cluster, quoted by the organizers. According to him, the construction of a charging station outside urban areas requires the same documentation as opening a mall.
“This demotivates investors,” Levkov was categorical, adding that the capacity of state officials needs to be increased. The expert pointed out that there are 30 million euros for municipalities and 100 million euros for the state as a whole to promote electromobility, but state officials are not clear on how they can be spent.
At the same time, the Electricity System Operator (ESO) is also implementing a project to build charging stations. These installations can be beneficial for the company because they can balance peak energy production.
Ivan Velchev, Business Development Director at AmonRa Energy, spoke about a project the company is working on. It envisages a “green corridor” of charging stations and 10 electric trucks to transport cargo from Sofia to Thessaloniki. One of the hubs where there will be a charging station is the Kresna Gorge.
So far, three hubs have been built in Bulgaria under this program, with work in Greece progressing much faster, Velchev explained. He explained that some of the charging stations will be connected to photovoltaic power plants, thus achieving a double effect – self-sufficiency and green energy.
