Traveler V. Radzevičius: “It is very convenient to drive an electric car in Lithuania” | Business

Journalist and traveler Vytaras Radzevičius, who participated in electric car competitions four years ago and sat behind the wheel of an electric vehicle for the first time, managed to make sure that an electric car is not only an economical and ecological, but also a comfortable vehicle.

The first experience is in extraordinary competitions

V. Radzevičius recalled his first experience driving an electric car in the podcast “Posityvios vážas”. A few years ago, he took part in an electric car race, where crews competed on a specially prepared route for them. Vytaras did not hide that at the beginning of the trip, doubts and excitement did not leave him.

“The competition experience was very interesting. Even before the start of the race, you were thinking, what will happen if we don’t find charging stations? How will the electric car need to be charged and how long will it take? After all, the route had to be covered as quickly as possible, there was no time to think,” Radzevičius shared his memories.

However, after the competition, all fears dissipated – now the traveler confidently claims that traveling by electric car is convenient, especially in a country as big as Lithuania.

“Then we covered a distance of about 400 kilometers without any problems, we charged the electric car quickly. So if you are planning a trip in Lithuania, during which you will cover several hundred kilometers, stop or spend the night on the way, traveling by electric car will be really convenient”, he said.

I would go on a trip to Europe

V. Radzevičius also emphasized that it is possible to travel comfortably by electric car not only in Lithuania. When asked if he would decide to cover one of his trips with an electric car, he assured that he would safely travel in an electric vehicle in Europe, since the network of charging stations is well developed.

“You could travel around the Baltic countries with an electric car with your eyes closed. Also, in most European countries, you can drive an electric car without any problems, but in other continents, I am not sure if the infrastructure is developed enough,” said a well-known man.

Vytaras compared the development of the electric car charging network to another, much more advanced technology in Lithuania – internet connection.
“The situation is similar – when the Internet first appeared, it was very expensive to have it and certainly not everywhere the Internet connection worked. And today in Lithuania you will hardly find a place where the internet does not work”, compares the famous traveler.

Vytaras is convinced that the infrastructure of electric cars will continue to expand rapidly, and he identifies our generation as transformers who have already learned to adapt to constantly improving technologies.

The number of electric cars is growing not only in cities, but also in regions
According to Laura Doraitės-Gudavičienė, head of electric car product development at the energy solutions company “Elektrum Lietuva”, the faster changes in infrastructure development are also due to the fact that the belief that an electric car is adapted exclusively for driving around the city is gradually changing.

Laura Doraitė-Gudavičienė, Elektrum Lithuania

“Innovations developed in the industry make it possible to offer electric cars with battery capacity sufficient for long journeys, which further encourages the development of the market. At the same time, this means that new charging access points must be located outside the metropolitan areas. Today, we see that the number of electric cars is growing not only in cities, but also in the regions, but the residents of the regions who purchase electric cars have to think more about their charging options for now”, the expert shares.

She adds that car manufacturers are increasingly trying to adapt electric cars to the widest possible audience, and changing the battery technology would make the price of electric cars affordable to more residents. This means that the price difference compared to internal combustion engines will decrease – this is another trend that will inevitably promote the popularity of electric cars in Lithuania.

“Elektrum Lietuva” belongs to the energy group “Latvenergo”, which has been operating in the field of electric car charging services in Latvia since 2019. There are more than 340 charging points in operation in this country, and currently 670 points can be recharged using the “Elektrum Drive” app in all Baltic countries. During this year, their number should exceed 800.