Electric vehicles build modern infrastructure. This is a technological transformation that must not be obstructed

02.10.2025

Ruslan Shostak, President of TERWIN

Starting January 1, 2026, Ukraine will no longer extend tax incentives for the import of electric vehicles. This is a shot in the foot for Ukraine’s energy sector. I strongly oppose this decision and appeal to Minister of Energy Svitlana Grynchuk: how is this even possible?

We have finally begun to move to a qualitatively new level. Over the past five years, the number of electric vehicles in Ukraine has quadrupled — from 40,000 in 2020 to 160,000 in 2025. Today, every fourth imported car is electric.

We should not restrict their import — on the contrary, we should encourage it. Because an electric vehicle is not just transport. It is part of the future energy system of the country.

Why this is critically important:

• Energy security. An EV is a buffer for energy storage. By importing them, we are importing batteries that can smooth out peak loads and strengthen the resilience of the energy system. 300,000 EVs already represent a “quantum of resilience.”

• Economy. Our 160,000 EVs mean approximately 200 million liters of imported gasoline not purchased per year — worth ₴12 trillion — and over 380 million kWh of domestically produced electricity purchased instead, worth ₴7 billion. This is autonomous consumption and direct support for Ukrainian energy, instead of dependence on imported fuel. In other words, we do not spend foreign currency on oil imports, but spend hryvnias on electricity generated in Ukraine.

• Ecology. EV fleets emit 2–3 times less CO₂ than equivalent gasoline fleets. This is the health of our cities and the future of our ecosystem.

• Eurointegration. The EU has already set strict standards: starting in 2035, all new cars in Europe must be zero-emission. Withdrawing support for EVs is a step back from Ukraine’s European future.

• New industry. EVs create modern infrastructure — charging stations instead of old gas stations, new services, and new jobs. This is a technological transformation that must not be obstructed.

And now we are being asked to stop all of this? To impose tariffs and strangle a market that has only just begun to grow?

This is not just a mistake — it is sabotage of the future. What we need are not barriers, but incentives.

I appeal to energy companies (DTEK Group and others), to the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine: whose interests are being served by cutting these incentives? Are the lobbies of global oil corporations and local gas stations really stronger than the long-term interests of our country?

Critics may argue that removing these incentives means lost tax revenues, but we can offset this through the sale of Ukrainian energy, from which all taxes are paid. In total, we gain much more than we would from the taxes that eliminating incentives might generate.

P.S. I am not lobbying — none of my businesses are connected with electric vehicles. I am appealing to common sense.

The electric vehicle must become a symbol of Ukraine’s progress — not a victim of someone’s short-sighted decisions.