Preferential travel for electric vehicles on toll roads may be extended

The Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Transport and Avtodor are discussing the possibility of continuing the experiment carried out last year on free travel of electric vehicles on toll roads. The benefits were provided as part of the government program for the development of production and use of electric transport in the Russian Federation, according to which by 2030 at least 10% of all cars produced in the Russian Federation will be electric. As Kommersant found out, owners of electric cars took advantage of the preference more than 300 thousand times. The most popular sections turned out to be M-11 Moscow-Solnechnogorsk and the Odintsovo bypass. Moreover, most often Tesla and other electric cars of foreign rather than domestic production were seen there.

The experiment, which gave the right to free travel to owners of electric vehicles on toll sections M-1, M-3, M-4, M-11, M-12 and the Central Ring Road, was carried out from March 1 to December 31, 2023. To do this, it was necessary to buy or rent a transponder from Avtodor or activate the benefit on an existing device. The pilot project was provided for by the government concept for the development of production and use of electric transport in the Russian Federation, according to which by 2030 at least 10% of all cars produced in the Russian Federation will be electric.

As of the end of December, over 306 thousand passages of electric vehicles with a registered benefit were recorded, Kommersant was told by the Ministry of Economy (supervising the project). The most popular were the Northern Bypass of Odintsovo (more than 142 thousand passages) and toll sections of the M-11 highway (more than 89 thousand passages; most of them, according to Kommersant, along the head section Moscow-Solnechnogorsk). Electric cars have traveled along the M-4 highway about 35 thousand times, on the M-3 – less than 3 thousand. As Kommersant was told by the Ministry of Economy, the department, together with the Ministry of Transport and Avtodor, is already working on the possibility and “parameters for ensuring free travel” on toll roads. areas for electric vehicles in 2024. In the meantime, owners of electric vehicles pay for travel on the same basis as other motorists.

According to the Ministry of Economy at the end of June 2023 (more recent data was not provided), more than 30 thousand electric vehicles were registered in the Russian Federation – 23% more than at the beginning of the year. According to the Autostat agency, at the end of last year, more than 14 thousand electric vehicles under three years old were sold in Russia – 4.7 times more than the year before. The top 5 best-selling electric vehicle brands included Zeekr, Evolute, Volkswagen, Tesla and Voyah.

The North-Western Concession Company (operates the head section of the M-11 Moscow-Solnechnogorsk highway) told Kommersant that as part of the campaign, an average of about 200 electric vehicles drove along the roads every day. “Taking into account the development of electric transport in the Russian market, we expect further growth in the number of trips in 2024,” the company says. The company “New Quality of Roads” (operator of the Northern Bypass of Odintsovo) emphasized that they will support the decision to extend the experiment in 2024. The state company Avtodor does not comment on the situation.

“Of course, support measures such as free parking and charging, the abolition of transport tax, as well as travel on toll roads for free, encourage drivers to consider buying electric cars,” the press service of the Moscow automobile plant “Moskvich” told Kommersant. “If the project will continue, it will have a positive impact on increasing the number of electric vehicles in the country.” Moskvich proposes to expand the program by providing benefits to legal entities that own electric vehicles. This, they believe, will force large companies to think about purchasing electric vehicles for their company fleet. The Evolute press service also believes that the project is “an additional incentive for the implementation of the program for the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem and an important motivation for the transition of car owners from using traditional cars to environmentally friendly transport.”

The main share of beneficiaries who received free travel were owners of expensive foreign-made electric vehicles, in particular Tesla and others, a source familiar with the situation told Kommersant: they were the ones who most often traveled to Sheremetyevo airport along M-11 and in the direction of prestigious cottage villages. The “New Quality of Roads” noted that in the area of ​​the Northern Bypass of Odintsovo there is “the widest distribution of electric vehicles.” Owners of domestically produced electric cars, for which the “pilot” was intended to stimulate sales, rarely took advantage of the benefit, Kommersant’s interlocutor is sure.

Owners of passenger cars, we note, pay 300 rubles for travel along the Odintsovo bypass, and from 680 to 1210 rubles along the head section of M-11. (depending on the day of the week, time of day and direction of travel).

The fact that the state stimulates sales of electric vehicles in various ways is good, says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine. However, the expert points out, an electric car can usually be afforded by wealthy people who are buying a second or third car for their family: “It turns out that we sponsor people who already feel good, and those who cannot replace their old Kalina for the new “Grant” are left behind. It’s not very fair.”

Ivan Buranov