Roxana Capata, Ford Romania Services: “We see a growing desire of Romanian customers to buy electrified vehicles”

“There are many challenges in the automotive industry. I’m not just referring to all the technologies and efforts of manufacturers and suppliers to bring to the market products that are as well made as possible so that end users can use our vehicles in the best conditions. We must take into account the European directives that require from 2035 the sale of vehicles with zero emissions and the commitment of car manufacturers, including Ford Motor Company, that this directive be fulfilled 100%,” Roxana Capata, Managing Director, Ford Romania Services said during Green Mobility Conference powered by Automotive Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“At the national level, we see a growing desire of Romanian customers to buy green cars, from mild-hybrid to full electric. This year’s statistics show that 10% of car sales in Romania are electric cars. If we add the full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, we can talk about 25-28% of the total. The Rabla Plus program helps a lot, it is a benefit that the Ministry of the Environment grants for the purchase of an electric car. We have a voucher of 11,000 euros, the most generous in Europe. France ranks second with an eco-ticket of 7,000 euros.

But we know very well that the Rabla Plus budget is limited and we also know that the funds are consumed very quickly. There are hundreds of customers who could not access the funds and are waiting another 6 months to purchase an electric car through the Rabla Plus program. Here we can see a blockage and we must discuss with the Romanian authorities to rethink this program so that the budget is at the level of demand.

This discussion includes the problem of infrastructure. The offer of electric cars is increasingly competitive, and more and more manufacturers launch high-performance models every year, but the national and European infrastructure can be the biggest blocker in the development and growth of the electric car industry.

At European level, 14,000 new stations should be installed every week, and this is not happening. The current pace should be increased 10 times. This trend is positive in Romania, but the situation is still not at the level required by the industry. The charging infrastructure has developed a lot in cities, but we have problems when we talk about mobility between cities and we have to take major and fast steps in order to accelerate the transition to electric cars.”

Full recording of the conference HERE.