Ecology, Energy, Estonia, Transport

The program, which gives buyers a discount of up to 50% on the total cost of a fully electric car, is financed by the government's sale of 10 million carbon dioxide credits to Mitsubishi last year, writes LETA.

However, it seems unlikely that the funds for the grant scheme, up to 18,000 euros per purchase, will be spent by November 2012 deadline.

As reported, in the framework of the electric car project, individuals and legal persons are eligible for up to 18,000 euros of support for the purchase, made possible by SA KredEx. In addition, up to 1,000 euros support is being provided for charger purchases and related installation. The support is being provided for purchasing an electric car from a country in the EEA or Switzerland and bearing a European Union type approval. The car must have at least a two-year warranty, the battery, a five-year warranty, and the applicant must be the first owner of the car.

So far, potential consumers have been discouraged by high prices, lack of information about the performance of the electric cars in winter conditions and a small choice of available vehicles, a government press release said. On Monday, KredEx, the agency responsible for the program, announced it will add several new models to the list of vehicles that qualify for the grant.

Currently, there are four models, including the Mitsubishi, Citroen, Peugeot and Valmet. In coming months, a minivan and another small and slow vehicle produced by Polaris and recommended for use on small islands will also be included.