The switch to electric vehicles is essential to meet climate goals. But a lack of charging stations makes people reluctant to part with their fossil-fuel cars.
Charge&Go, a charging station company based in Belgrade, has developed an app to improve access to charging points in Serbia, where electric vehicles account for just 0.007% of new car sales.
The company installed the first electric vehicle charging stations in the country in 2017, primarily in the parking lots of companies promoting electric cars and at diplomatic sites. Since then, it has installed over 600 fast- and slow-charging networks in Serbia.
“We now have one of the largest charging networks in the region,” says Tamara Zjačić, deputy director at the company.
Charge&Go, which developed its app in 2021, is based in Science Technology Park Belgrade, an innovation hub that helps tech companies develop products and grow. The park was built using part of a €200 million loan the European Investment Bank signed with Serbia in 2010 to improve research and development in the country. This loan also is helping to build and renovate university classrooms and equipment in Serbia, as well as offering new equipment and housing for young researchers.
Charge&Go is one of the more than 240 companies that the Science Technology Park Belgrade has supported since its founding. The park opened in 2015 as the first innovation hub of its kind in Serbia. It helps entrepreneurs, startups and growing tech companies develop and commercialise products and services. There now are several research hubs around the country helping young companies develop ideas or get financing.
“The construction of multiple science and technology parks shows how Serbia is providing an environment for creative and bright minds to exchange ideas and find solutions for society,” says Miguel da Silva Santos Dias, a loan officer at the European Investment Bank. “As many countries increase funding for artificial Intelligence or other types of research centres, Serbia cannot afford to fall behind in these areas.”
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Multilingual and multicurrency
Electric vehicle owners need to know the locations and availability of charging stations to plan their trips. After a partnership with the European platform for EV charging Virta that lasted from 2020 to 2023, Charge&Go began developing a mobile application and digital platform that helps drivers find charging stations, check their availability and pay for the electricity. To create the app’s multilingual and multicurrency software, the company received a grant from Serbia’s Innovation Fund and from a European Union programme that helps small businesses become more innovative and knowledgeable about technology.
“Our mobile platform is the result of the dedication of local experts who had to incorporate specific requirements from different markets, including tax regulations, personal data protection, various currencies and languages, as well as the value-added-tax,” Zjačić says.
People using the Charge&Go app can visit more than 400 000 stations in over 30 countries. Europe’s charging infrastructure has been improving. There are now about 900 000 public charging points. But the continent is far behind countries such as China, which has more than 3.2 million charging points.
Incentives to give up old cars
For Serbians to use more electric cars, new rules and regulations need to be adopted. To help, the government is halting the import of used vehicles that do not meet specific standards, and it is introducing incentives for new car purchases. Currently, about 2.8 million vehicles in Serbia are an average of 18 years old.
Serbia is adopting new regulations to help expand its charging network. At the end of 2024, the country adopted the Law on Energy, which for the first time addresses electric vehicle charging. The new law defines energy policies to ensure that there is a reliable energy supply, and it helps regulate the energy market. The law also covers the integration of electric vehicles into the electricity network.
“Now, it is important to define specific regulations in line with the EU standards to tackle technical and legal conditions, software, data structure and classification, rights and obligations of providers and users,” Zjačić says.
More charging points are a priority
There also is a draft law on alternative fuels infrastructure awaiting parliamentary approval in Serbia. But better charging locations is one of the most important goals.
“The installation of fast and ultrafast chargers along major transit routes, as well as within cities, must continue,” Zjačić says. “Expanding these services to other markets is also a priority to ensure that passengers traveling to other countries can do so seamlessly, without using different applications from various providers.”
PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The project concerns a series of investments aimed at revitalising public R&D in Serbia.
