Abstract:

Electric mobility, and in general low-carbon mobility, is one of the main targets of the European Union’s policies dedicated to a green transition. Despite continuous efforts, the number of electric cars in circulation remains low, and the objectives of expanding the market for such vehicles by 2030 are still far from being fulfilled. Until 2018, the share of electric vehicles was only 1.5% of total car sales in the EU. Specifically, it has been noted that an increase in the uptake of electric vehicles in Europe is hampered by three main barriers: affordability, infrastructure availability, and lack of investments. In this context, project PROMETEUS has aimed at tackling the lacunae in the availability of infrastructures for a transition towards electric mobility in the partnership’s regions, namely, Carinthia in Austria, Castilla y León in Spain, Lazio in Italy, Malta, and Prešov in Slovakia, and at countering low awareness in the public through the improvement of policy instruments linked to structural funds. To approach and clarify the improvement process of those policy instruments, the authors have summarized and presented the reference results and outputs from the Action Plans across the partners. This article also discusses in detail the output of the regional Action Plan of the project partners—the Prešov region, as the form of a model example—as the initial situation in terms of infrastructure development in the region posing the biggest challenge for the project. Managerial and research summaries can be helpful in the implementation of similar projects, in the continuous improvement of policy instruments, and, last but not least, in the formulation of new challenges to improve awareness of sustainable forms of transport.