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Łukasz Kopczyński's (Targi Kielce) interview with Ryszard Gliwiński - the President of the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Kielce, offers an insight into the future of electric cars and programs implemented by the Environmental Protection Fund. Full content of the interview is below.

What is the future of electric cars? When can they be expected to replace combustion-engine vehicles. When will they be a majority of the automotive market in Poland?

This process must take several years. The main problem is the infrastructure, i.e. chargers and the availability of a car charging system. WFOŚiGW already supports these developments;  uniformed services from the Świętokrzyskie region have already received support. Forty electric cars have been 40% subsidised by WFOŚiGW. Our offer also includes supported-loan financing for 100% of the eligible costs of an electric car - on top of that it is also possible to redeem up to 15% of the car costs. Several entrepreneurs have already used this option. The market situation is also challenging, as we often have to wait a long time for cars.

Immense limitation of exhaust gases – this electric car's main advantage. Do you think this is the most significant advantage?

The Environmental Protection Fund finds it the most important -  electric cars fit perfectly into the program we implement. The uniformed services I mentioned can be seen in Kielce and the voivodeship. The staff are satisfied that they can use electric cars in their everyday duties. We see more and more cars with green registration plates,  I believe that the infrastructure, and hence the market, will further advance.

Limited range of the car may discourage many people. Is this a problem?

Yes, but here you need to raise the aspect of photovoltaics, which has become very popular thanks to programs such as "My Electricity" and "Clean Air". One can still receive subsidies for photovoltaic installations. A single-family house resident who has installed a photovoltaic system and owns an electric car may leave the car to be charged for 12 hours overnight. Here, the economic aspect is also important, i.e. the cost of maintaining such a car. If we combine investments - photovoltaics and an electric car, then the return on investment is even shorter.

You mentioned the "Clean Air" programme, which makes it possible for many inhabitants to obtain subsidies. Do you have statistics on how many households have already received support?

The "Clean Air" program has already been changed many times so that the largest possible number of residents could benefit from it. Currently, the WFOŚGW has received over 25 thousand applications, and over 22 thousand contracts have already been signed. A considerable amount - over 530 million PLN have been made available for WFOŚGiW. We are the only voivodeship where agreements are signed with all communes, and thus applications can be submitted in each of them. This is also a convenient for a beneficiaries. The recent changes, i.e. "Clean Air +", make the scheme even more beneficial for the residents. They can start investing without having their own funds; after receiving the application, they can receive a subsidy of up to PLN 79,000. and a 50% refund. There is also a credit line, thanks to which you can get a loan of up to 100,000. and then settle it with the subsidy has been transferred into your account. There are several financing options -  small-town inhabitants and farmers can take advantage of the "Agroenergia" program and receive subsidies for photovoltaics and heat pumps. In recent months, we have noticed that most of the Clean Air program applications indicate the most modern heat sources, i.e. heat pumps. As I have already mentioned, the combination of photovoltaics, a heat pump and an electric car make our households a truly ecological and energy self-sufficient.

Do you think Polish society is already well educated? Do you see the need for more initiatives designed to raise their awareness?

The awareness of the voivodeship's inhabitants is increasing in terms of environmental protection and the fight against low-altitude emissions. Nevertheless, this knowledge should be disseminated. The right people should provide reliable information. Within the scope of the energy consulting program, we organise face-to-face meetings with residents,  provide information about programs and raise people's awareness of environmental protection.  Compared to the situation a few years ago, the inhabitants' awareness is much greater.

You mentioned several ways to reach out to the inhabitants. What are the communication channels and ideas for getting people to take advantage of the programs? How does WFOŚG reach the inhabitants?

Knowledge transfer happens on several levels,  we mark our presence in local and nationwide TV stations. We cooperate with Targi Kielce, we attend events organised by the Kielce exhibition and congress centre. We visited all municipalities at the beginning of the "Clean Air" program. In addition to direct meetings, all information is made available on our website. A nationwide hotline is also available.

The conversation with President Ryszard Gliwiński, there was a detailed outline of programs implemented by WFOŚiGW, which result in large heating and photovoltaic installations in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The President also announced the presence of the Environmental Protection Fund at next year's ENEX expo and also mentioned the guests and conferences, the benefits of attending the trade show.

The Enex and ENEX New Energy are accompanied by the International Environmental Protection and Waste Management Expo and the 4Insulation International Insulation Fair. Therefore, save the date for 8 and 9 March 2023.

(MCh)