IS THERE A FUTURE FOR ELECTRIC CARS IN RUSSIA?

The headquarters of car companies often say that soon all cars will be electric. However, it is not easy for motorists to completely believe this. After all, an electric car – at least in Russia – remains rather an expensive thing, as they say, for fun than for everyday use. What needs to happen for the views to change? Thomas Sterzel, General Director of «Porsche Russland LLC», spoke about the development of infrastructure for electric vehicles in Russia and new consumer preferences.

From my point of view, this is a multi-factorial process. First of all, it is necessary to develop the infrastructure of charging stations for electric vehicles and not only in cities but also on the main highways of the country. Secondly, the availability of electric vehicles in all price segments. Currently, only four car companies officially sell electric cars in Russia, including Porsche. State incentives are also important - helping customers to decide on such a special purchase. This year, there are no duties on electric vehicles in Russia. It would be great to extend this support.

With the combination of these factors, when a bigger part of electric cars is created on the market, their advantages become obvious. The market is gradually developing in this direction: some car manufacturers have already started selling their electric products and even more models are on the way.

Development is proceeding at its own pace in different countries. Everything is just beginning in Russia, the country is not yet a leader in this direction. However, on the other hand, in Moscow, you can already see a lot of public transport on electric traction. No one has canceled the laws of the market: premium brands react to the state of the market, but it is delayed. The decision to launch the electric Taycan was carefully thought out and balanced. The all-electric Porsche Cayman car was created from the very beginning as a new star. The launch of the model took place in September 2019, more than 20 thousand people worldwide received their cars, and in Russia, we started selling them only in December 2020. The model opens for us the era of electric mobility in Russia.

I think we are making a significant impact on the electric car market due to the successful launch of the Taycan - this year our sales will significantly exceed the initial plan. The market's interest in this innovative product turned out to be high. From the beginning of sales in Russia to the end of May 2021, we sold 416 Taycan cars in various modifications.