Development of Russian electric transport and automotive industry were discussed at ATOMEXPO-2024
The discussion was attended by Gennady Sklyar, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Industrial Policy and Trade, Natalia Nikipelova, President of Rosatom's Fuel Company TVEL, Alina Khayretdinova, Advisor to the Deputy Mayor of Moscow and Director of the Electric Vehicles Development Directorate, Alexander Rolbinov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Kaliningrad Oblast, Alexander Khvalko, Deputy General Director - Sales Director of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, and other market leaders and experts. The session participants discussed specific features of the production localization process, the potential for synergy and unification in the field of electric transport and infrastructure, as well as the governmental support.
Gennady Sklyar, Deputy of the State Duma, Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on Industrial Policy and Trade, noted that Russia has significant energy resources and a sufficiently developed energy system to meet the energy consumption needs of electric vehicles. There are leading companies in the country capable of meeting national challenges in achievement of technological independence, including independence in the field of electric transportation. In this situation, the role of government institutions in developing an advanced regulatory framework that would stimulate, rather than hinder the development of the new industry, is particularly important. Another important role of the government is the effective synchronization of the work among all market participants. First and foremost, the regulatory role concerns the issues of electric vehicle production - certification issues, requirements to the degree of localization, etc. The Parliamentarian also emphasized that Russia should move from import-independence to building up export potential in the field of electric transport. In particular, Russian NPP projects abroad, which significantly increase the capacity of local energy systems, may in the future go hand in hand with the development of electric transportation infrastructure.
Natalia Nikipelova, President of Rosatom's fuel company TVEL, which houses the production of lithium-ion batteries and the Electromobility project office, called creation of a full-fledged electric mobility industry in Russia, including import-independent production of electric cars, passenger and commercial electric transport, as the task of nationwide scale. Such a task can be solved only if the efforts of various players, primarily large manufacturers, are consolidated, around which an ecosystem of numerous small and medium-sized companies will grow.
“Rosatom is capable of becoming a locomotive for achieving these ambitious goals; the nuclear industry has accumulated tremendous experience in solving tasks of comparable scale. The State Corporation operates in the global nuclear power market in the format of a comprehensive integrated offer; Rosatom knows how to create production chains and build up industrial cooperation. These processes are also being launched in the field of electric transportation to provide a complete production cycle from lithium stock extraction to the electric charging infrastructure. We also develop the chemical processing of lithium production, our own batteries, electric drives and other components. While mastering the production of all key components, Rosatom currently is not going to become a manufacturer of electric cars directly. However, we call on all automakers to consolidate their efforts to jointly fill the domestic market with production that will allow domestic electric cars to be competitive in price,” - Natalya Nikipelova emphasizes.
Alexander Khvalko, Deputy General Director - Sales Director of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, emphasizes the synergy of nuclear power and electric transport to achieve the goals of the climate agenda, prevent carbon emissions, and improve the environmental situation in megacities. “Russian nuclear power plants prevent about 110 million tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere every year. “The city of the future” - it is not only about digitalization of all services, but also about ecology. We are currently implementing a major project to build 18,000 charging stations by 2030. Electric transportation will require an increase in electricity production, and it is important what type the sources of this energy will be,” says Alexander Khvalko.
Considerable attention during the discussion was paid to the prospects of introducing electric-powered vehicles in the country's regions. Alina Khayretdinova, Advisor to the Deputy Mayor of Moscow and Director of the Electric Vehicles Development Directorate, highly appreciated Rosatom's contribution to the localization of technologies and production facilities in this field. In 2023, an offset contract was signed to build a traction battery plant in Krasnaya Pakhra (New Moscow). The batteries will be used in domestically produced passenger vehicles and electric buses. The project will give an additional impetus to the production of electric vehicles. Alina Khayretdinova emphasized the complex synergetic effect from development of the new industry on the national economy: new production facilities will contribute to job creation, utilization of intellectual and production potential of the region, introduction of new technologies. And, ultimately, achievement of technological independence.
Alexander Rolbinov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Kaliningrad Oblast, noted the role and necessity of state support at the federal level. 38 electric charging stations have been put into operation in Kaliningrad Oblast, six of them thanks to the program of state subsidies for charging infrastructure, and 22 more such facilities are to be built in the near future. Alexander Rolbinov also noted Rosatom's leading role in the future development of local electric transportation - the first Russian “giga-factory” of energy storage devices is being built in Kaliningrad Oblast, and some of the manufactured products will be sold in the automotive industry of the region. Alexander Rolbinov also expressed confidence that effective state support and preferences to manufacturers will help reduce the cost of electric cars and make them more competitive in relation to cars with conventional engines.
Roman Berdnikov, First Deputy Director General of RusHydro PJSC, spoke about development of electric charging infrastructure in the Eastern part of the country, where the company is widely represented in various sectors of the electric power industry. As of today, 130 electric charging stations have already been launched in the Far East region, the “New Silk Road” project has yielded an electric charging network connecting Moscow with Vladivostok; today 9,300 km of the road are fully equipped with recharging points built every 150 km. By the end of 2024, RusHydro plans to enlarge the network up to 350 fast charging stations in 36 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, while profitability of the new business is gradually increasing. The top manager also described the electric car sharing service, which has a synergistic effect with charging stations (to date, there are already 130 electric rental cars in Vladivostok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).
Andrey Reznikov, Managing Partner of Motorinvest LLC, which is the first Russian manufacturer of electric cars under the Russian brand EVOLUTE, the official importer of Voyah premium electric cars, speaking within the framework of panel session “Megapolis of the Future - Territory of Electric Mobility” emphasizes: “In just two years, we have shown serious development in the electric vehicle market and infrastructure. In 2023, the number of electric cars in Russia increased by 75%. A considerable contribution has been made by the state, which promotes the rapid development of this area. Following the example of China and its fast-growing megacities, we can be positive that the electric car is the transportation of the future. The share of NEVs in the PRC is already 28% of all passenger vehicles. By the end of 2023, China already accounts for more than 60% of global production and sales of new energy vehicles, and local brands are already competing with European makes in the domestic market. As far as the global market is concerned, in my opinion, the product levels of Chinese brands are not only as good as those of European brands, but even superior to them. Therefore, in terms of developing the electric vehicle ecosystem in Russia, namely the technological foundation and exchange of experience, the right vector for us is also the choice of this technologically leading partner”.
Harald Grübel, Executive Director of KAMA JSC., believes that it is necessary to actively develop the associated infrastructure and identify the limiting factors for a larger spread of electric vehicles. As electric vehicle developers, the ATOM project team understands the importance of these factors, which is why one of the key activities is to build effective interaction between federal and municipal authorities, electric vehicle manufacturers and other market stakeholders. Only by combining the efforts of all players in the market, we can create the basis for successful development and promotion of such transportation. ”Being the developers of a fundamentally new electric vehicle, we are committed to maximizing transparency and openness. We discuss the principles of electric vehicles and convenience of their use. In general, we contribute to popularization of information and promote the interest of the society in regards to this topic,” says Harald Grübel.
