The fate of the Polish electric car hangs in the balance. Would the Chinese benefit from Izera?

In just two years, the first units of the Polish electric car brand Izera will roll off the assembly line. At least this is what the ElectroMobility Poland (EMP) company responsible for building the national electric vehicle assumes. For now, however, there is not even a factory where cars would be produced. And there is one more problem – the new authorities still don’t know what to do with Izera.

The future of the Polish Izera is at stake. Concrete decisions are still missing

After entering the ElectroMobility Poland website, you will learn about the “solid foundations” of Izera and the milestones of the project. There we will find information that the construction of the Izera factory is planned to start in the first quarter of 2024, and the work is to be completed in the last quarter of 2025. However, after the change of power in Poland, the future of the Polish electrician’s project hangs in the balance. It is not clear whether there will be both political will and money to continue the project.

Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, Minister of Funds and Regional Policy It may result in the abandonment of potentially unprofitable projects, e.g. Jizera. Decisions are to be made soon.

– The Izera project, a Polish electric car, is highly controversial. A number of questions arise here. Is this feasible? The investment process has started on a micro scale. We need to check whether it is worth it at all. If not, we have money for electromobility – said Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz in an interview with Jacek Gądek.

“Rzeczpospolita”: Jizera may bring more benefits to the Chinese

However, a possible decision to abandon the project has both advantages and disadvantages. The very point of investing in the project of a Polish brand, whose cars may simply sell poorly, is questionable. It is difficult to say today whether customers will be interested in purchasing a Polish electric car, especially when there is no shortage of electric vehicles on the market from well-known manufacturers abroad.

that continuing the project could bring the most benefits to the Chinese, who could produce two car models of their brands in Jaworzno and introduce them to the European Union markets through Poland. EMP is currently finalizing the details of cooperation with the Chinese car manufacturer Geely, which already supplies the market with 2 million vehicles a year – writes “Rz”. Geely would like to produce electric cars in Jaworzno under the Volvo and Smart brands.

Some experts – as the newspaper mentions – believe that such a partnership would secure the use of the production plant in the event of the Jizera fiasco. On the other hand, the presence of a Chinese partner may also be harmful to the Polish brand, which could be unable to cope with strong competition. As a result, the production of Izera, over time, could turn out to be only an addition to the production of vehicles by the Chinese manufacturer.

– While I am against canceling the entire investment, which would eliminate the possibility of cooperation with such a large player as Geely, I would be careful when making decisions about the future of the Polish model. We need to answer the question whether we need it, and if so, how many of these vehicles we can sell, said Maciej Mazur, managing director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association, in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita”. Mazur also notes that the electrician factory, on the other hand, could also be a magnet attracting further investments – e.g. in the production of components.

The lack of EU consent may also be an obstacle

There are also concerns that the European Union may not accept possible changes to the KPO. Theoretically, the government could abandon the project of building a factory and Polish car brands, and transfer the saved money, for example, to the construction of infrastructure necessary for the further development of electromobility in Poland. “Rz” reminds that PiS left the industry in a bad condition. We have problems with the development of a fleet of electric vehicles, and fast chargers for electricians are built at the slowest pace in Europe.

If the EU did not accept the transfer of funds for other purposes, the money could be lost. On the other hand, canceling the entire project at this stage could reduce potential losses in the future.