First marathon of electric, plug-in and hybrid cars starts in Moldova

30.10.2018 13:55
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Nine electric, plug-in and hybrid cars will roam Moldova for five days to promote innovation in auto transport industry and demonstrate the performance of zero-emission cars. The first expedition of environmentally friendly cars started today, October 30, in the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.

The convoy of cars will cross the cities of Orhei, Soroca, Drochia, Balti, Ungheni. The vehicles will be charged with power supply at the overnight hotels and restaurants. The cars participating in the expedition will return to Chisinau on November 3. On the Great National Assembly Square, the expedition’s participants will share with people their impressions and experience of driving ecofriendly cars.

“The eco mobility can be a reality for Moldova. We promote environment-friendly transport to reduce air pollution. 14% of the total volume of greenhouse gas emissions in our country is in the transport sector,” said Alexandru Rotaru, project manager at UNDP Moldova, organization that partnered for the electric car marathon.

Ilie Toma, organizer and participant in the exhibition, said a mass transition of Moldovan motorists to eco propulsion systems seemed a utopia only one-two years ago, while today it is a growing trend. And this trend has all the chances to migrate even further from the classical hybrid area to that of plug-in hybrids and 100% electric cars, with the expected development of the power station infrastructure intended for 2019.

Currently, in the Republic of Moldova there are registered 54 electric cars and 5 charging stations, all in Chisinau. In 2019, 14 new electric vehicle charging stations will be installed on the main urban routes of the Republic of Moldova. The investment is being made thanks to a partnership between the Energy Efficiency Fund and the United Nations Development Program within the Sustainable Green Cities Project.

The Sustainable Green Cities Project, with a five-year duration: 2018-2022, has a total budget of $ 2.6 million provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and co-funded by UNDP with $ 80,000.