Sustainability Israel expects 30% of electric cars on roads by 2030 By Reuters September 12, 2023 Unsplash.com Israel’s energy ministry expects all six million cars on the road to be electric by 2050 Israel is expecting a huge jump in electric vehicle use by the end of the decade, when nearly a third of cars will be charged by the power grid rather than using gasoline, the energy ministry said on Tuesday. This will add significant stress to the national power grid, accounting for six percent of total demand, and require a tenfold expansion in battery charging capacity, the ministry said. The forecast comes as the government is reexamining its energy export policy, with the aim of boosting natural gas exports across the region while making sure it keeps enough reserves to meet the demand of a rapidly growing population. Israel’s newfound natural gas deposits are its main power source. About 1.3 million cars, or 30 percent of the country’s total, will be electric by 2030. That is up from 70,000 today, which is less than two percent, the ministry said in an official forecast. By 2050, the ministry expects all six million cars on the road to be electric. The increase is expected despite a hike in taxes on electric cars. The tax rate is due to jump to 35 percent in 2024 from 20 percent this year. But that will be offset by lost income from the sale of gasoline, which is taxed 50 percent. In addition, about 35 percent of buses will be electric by 2030, it said.
