site.btaInnovation Minister Lorer: Bulgaria to Be Among Leading Electric Utility Truck Manufacturers

Innovation Minister Lorer: Bulgaria to Be Among Leading Electric Utility Truck Manufacturers

Bulgaria will be among the leading electric utility truck manufacturers in the near future, said Innovation and Growth Minister Daniel Lorer during the presentation of the Sevic v500e electric light utility vehicle here on Tuesday. The truck is assembled in Bulgaria and has already been certified as road-worthy in Europe. 

The Bulgarian electric light utility trucks will be manufactured using only renewable energy. The first 500 units have been made and are to be exported. There is a huge demand for such vehicles in Western Europe and the USA. Their battery allows for a range of up to 300 km, while the loading capacity is up to 600 kg. 

The company plans on building a new production plant worth 20 million leva, which can manufacture close to 1,000 units annually. The electric vehicle's price range is between 20,000 and 24,000 euro. 

Lorer was in Plovdiv together with Deputy Prime Minister and Environment and Water Minister Borislav Sandov to meet with representatives of the biggest investors in the Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ). 

The Ministry of Innovation and Growth will start implementing a new measure for energy efficient technologies, aimed at SMEs. The measure will consist of 140 million leva in the form of grant aid. Talks are underway with the European Commission about increasing the measure's funding in Bulgaria, which could be in the excess of tens of millions, Lorer said. TEZ CEO Plamen Panchev said that the economic zone is committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2040. This strategy consists of three stages and 12 projects. The plans are to provide companies in the economic zone 40 per cent renewable energy by 2025, 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040, Panchev explained.