During January through October 2022 Russia recorded 2,090 new electric vehicle sales, a 34% rise from the previous year. Yet green car sales still represented roughly 0.4% of the total new-car market in the country.
Among European peers, Slovakia came closest to Russia with about 1.6% of new-car sales being environmentally friendly, roughly four times Russia’s share. Germany, home to a powerhouse automotive industry, accounted for around 14% of new-car sales. Sweden surpassed 25% with 26.2%, and Norway led the way with 69% of new-car sales being electric or hybrid.
The strongest uptake of new electric vehicles occurred in Moscow with 785 units during the ten months, followed by the Moscow region with 241, St. Petersburg with 179, and the Krasnodar region with 150. This pattern tracks with economic strength and climate advantages favorable to battery-powered vehicles. Other regions did not exceed fifty units.
Japan on the march
Nearly 95% of demand for new electric trains in Russia was concentrated in the Central and European parts of the country. For used electric trains, Siberia and the Far East were attracting a growing share, rising from 5% to 31%.
The explanation is straightforward: many of these vehicles are imports from Japan. The volume simply covers domestic needs.
Autostat notes that more than half, 52.9%, of the 23.3 thousand hybrids and electric vehicles registered in Russia are Nissan models.
The Leaf hatchback was never officially delivered to Russia, though Nissan seriously considered it. Today the five-door model is common in the secondary market in both generations. The oldest Leafs command prices similar to used compact cars of modest condition, with some buyers reporting a full-charge range as low as 50–70 km in practice.
The continued dominance of the affordable Leaf demonstrates a clear demand for budget-friendly electric options in Russia.
Nissan Leaf stands as the nation’s leading electric-vehicle fleet component.
China at the gate
Change is on the horizon as Chinese manufacturers prepare to reshape the landscape.
The revived Motorinvest plant is set to produce 15,000 Evolute electric vehicles per year, aligned with Dongfeng models.
There are plans for Moskvich to build 10,000 Moskvich 3rd electric crossovers, modeled on the JAC JS4.
The Skywell brand, not yet widely promoted in China, intends to assemble 3,000 cars in Russia by 2023.
More developments follow. Electric Avtotor trains are anticipated, with BAIC as a probable partner. Sollers may handle capacity at the Vladivostok plant, and discussions point to potential official launches of green models from Chery and Hongqi. There is also talk of gray-market deliveries, including European models assembled in China arriving here.
Overall, announcements point to a goal of substantially increasing electric-vehicle sales this year by as much as 15 times, while there has been no discussion about repealing the import duties reintroduced on January 1, 2022.
Where to charge?
Russia’s charging network remains far behind global leaders. China remains the benchmark with about 3.92 million charging points, followed by the European Union with around 330,000, the United States with roughly 140,000, and Russia with about 4,367.
Of these, just 688 are fast chargers, essential to closing the gap in convenience between electric and fossil-fuel vehicles. A typical fast charging session can reach 50% capacity within 30 minutes to an hour.
Slow AC charging points are most common in the Moscow region (630), Moscow city (360), and the Krasnodar Territory (220). Fast DC points lead in Moscow (68), the Krasnoyarsk Territory (51), and Primorye (45).
Charging networks continue expanding in major cities, but the key question is whether this growth will keep pace with the rising electric-vehicle fleet.
The charging-development plan reads almost fantastical next to the sales forecast. By the end of 2024, about 2,900 fast and 9,400 slow charging points were expected to be operational in Russia, with figures climbing to 72,000 fast and 28,000 slow by 2030.
Charging remains costly and typically requires government support. For 2022, subsidies for installation appeared in only 12 regions, totaling 1.37 billion rubles for 493 charging stations. Subsidies covered part of the cost: up to 60% for equipment and up to 30% for labor, capped at 2.76 million rubles per site.
Time will tell which of these plans prove prudent as the market evolves.