Russia’s largest car maker AvtoVAZ plans to produce its first 100 ElLada electric cars in 2012, AvtoVAZ Vice President for Technical Development Yevgeny Shmelyov said on Friday.
“Production of 100 ElLada electric cars next year is a reality,” Shmelyov said.
The price of the new eco-friendly cars, built on the basis of the Lada Kalina, will be twice the price of a petrol-engine Kalina, which costs from 280,000 rubles ($9,330) to 390,000 rubles depending on specification and engine capacity. The car maker has produced only two ElLada cars so far, each costing over 1 million rubles, Shmelyov added.
“The Stavropol territory is the most promising in terms of sales. We are also discussing supplies with Moscow, where Mayor Sobyanin recently saw this electric car at the RusNano exhibition,” Shmelyov said.
Georgy Yefremov, deputy head of the Stavropol territory, said the region is ready to create preferential terms for consumers who buy electric cars.
“We are ready to subsidise 10 percent of the price of each car for three years,” Yefremov said, without elaborating.
The first 100 cars will appear in Kislovodsk and Mineralnye Vody International Airport. “We will set up approximately 10 battery chargers at the airport,” Yefremov added.
Investcafe analyst Kirill Markin says AvtoVAZ’ electric car program is primarily aimed at demonstrating the solvency of the Russian car industry, and will depend completely on Russian government backing.
“If the Russian government will subsidize purchase of such electric cars, they will get major interest,” Markin said.