MPs say electric cars and their charging are too expensive for Croatians

Zagreb - Members of Parliament on Thursday welcomed the establishment of infrastructure necessary for charging alternative cars, and they warned that the number of electric cars in Croatia was modest, their charging expensive, and their prices too high for ordinary Croatians.

There are 16,000 hybrid cars and more than 3,000 electric cars in Croatia, Transport Ministry State Secretary Tomislav Mihotić told the parliament while presenting a final bill on infrastructure for alternative fuels: electricity, hydrogen, biofuel, and natural gas.

Marijan Pavliček of the Croatian Sovereignists (HS) warned that the share of electric cars would not increase due to high fuel prices for end-users.

He also said that since the start of 2022 more and more charging stations had been introducing charging fees and the average price of charging an electric car was now HRK 250.

Mihotić said the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) envisages providing grants for the procurement of electric cars and cars running on alternative fuels.

There are currently 600 electric charging stations in Croatia and for the time being, this is sufficient, according to Miro Totgergeli of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Some of the MPs proposed subventions for home electric charging stations for cars.