Hosted by the Hungarian Battery Association and White Paper Consulting, today’s sessions brought together industry experts, policymakers and innovators to explore the future of sustainable transport in Hungary, Central and Eastern Europe, and beyond.
At the opening of the event, Hungary’s Minister of National Economy, Márton Nagy, underscored his government’s “massive” ongoing commitment in supporting the growth of green energy solutions and e-mobility as part of Hungary’s economic and energy strategy.
He also emphasised that the European Union’s economic competitiveness will increasingly hinge on establishing a viable electric vehicle ecosystem, with Germany playing a crucial role in financial support, innovation, and investment – all of which would benefit Hungary.
Péter Kaderják, executive director of the Hungarian Battery Association, joined the minister in opening the day’s proceedings with a call for attendees to consider future generations in addressing the green energy transition and tackling the climate crisis. He also noted that there are significant business opportunities in the transition.
Chris Heron, secretary general of Avere, addressed the economic potential of e-mobility in Europe, “a subject that is being challenged more than ever now, with three months of apparently nothing but bad news for the sector […] with investments being cancelled and jobs potentially being lost.” While he acknowledged the concerns, he described the current issues as “just a bump in the road,” noting that Avere remains focused on capturing e-mobility’s growth potential through sound policy advocacy and the establishment of a solid legislative framework across Europe.
With high stakes on the table, Heron highlighted the opportunity for e-mobility to create as many as 580,000 new jobs across the sector, if “bold and systemic action” is taken across Europe. “Easing off now would have serious, lasting consequences,” he warned, adding that up to 25% of the EU’s market share could be at risk if e-mobility gains are not fully realized.
In a presentation on global e-mobility industry trends with a focus on European opportunities, Patrik Krizansky, president of the Slovak Electric Vehicle Association, highlighted the sector’s economic importance to Europe. He noted that the automotive industry accounts for 8% of EU GDP, with about 35% of European value-add—equating to roughly USD 750 billion — stemming from developing and selling cars in Europe.
Krizansky emphasized the economic potential of a fully electric vehicle market by 2035, saying, “A 100% EV market in 2035 has the potential to greatly increase the overall economic contribution to Europe from the automotive industry.” He advocated for strong localization of the battery value chain, expanded skills training, and maintaining local EV production, calling these elements crucial to Europe’s long-term competitiveness in the e-mobility space.
Axel Volkery, deputy head of Unit at DG Move at the European Commission, discussed enabling policies for the sustainable growth of the EU’s e-mobility industry. He acknowledged that “at this moment in time, as we pivot to a new Commission […] we are not fully ready to announce our next agendas or next initiatives.”
However, Volkery clarified that the EU already has a comprehensive framework and regulations in place, which now require thorough implementation. He emphasized that the European Commission will continue to fully support and back the battery industry, EV production, and the broader automotive sector.
In a speech outlining Audi’s vision for sustainable e-mobility, Michael Breme, chairman of the Board of Management at Audi Hungaria, emphasized that EVs and combustion engine cars don’t need to be seen as mutually exclusive options for investors and producers. “Major fields of technology that will dominate the future of our sector are battery electric vehicles and software-defined vehicles,” he said. “At Audi, we are convinced that the future of the automobile is electric […] and our ultimate objective for the future is an all-electric portfolio of vehicles, by 2033.”
What is needed for electric car sales to soar in Europe? That was the question posed by Ádám Karakas, partner at the Boston Consulting Group, who noted that “50% of car-buying customers are considering buying an EV and no longer only in the premium segment, but also among medium- and lower-level segment buyers.” However, he highlighted that new buyers are more cost-conscious and seek vehicles with strong value. “They are also really clear about what they want – faster charging times, closer chargers, a larger range, and they want to pay less for all of this.”
A roundtable panel discussion on the future of e-mobility delved into key trends for the coming years, the market outlook and the challenges and opportunities facing the automotive industry. Anita Simon, deputy CEO for Sustainability and Circular Economy at Alteo Group, noted that Hungary is ambitious but is lagging behind other European countries in EV adoption, with only 50,000 EVs registered last year compared to half a million in Norway. “What can drive more progress in our EV sector?” she asked, proposing that companies should play a bigger role and consider adopting EV fleets as part of their ESG policies as one strategy to accelerate adoption.
In the next roundtable discussion, focused on EV charging and the electricity grid, Szabolcs Balogh, CEO of MVM Mobiliti, raised critical points about whether grid infrastructure is prepared to support a mass transition to EVs. He questioned when there would be sufficient capacity to sustain such growth, particularly in smaller or less affluent countries with limited grid resources and charging capability. Levente Balasa, head of the Smart Infrastructure division at Siemens, emphasized the need to understand market requirements and demands and to prioritize network stability. “From our side, we are pushing the technology; the technology is available and on the table […] we are full of capacity in this respect – so what’s the problem? Network capacity is the problem; that’s what we need to focus on,” he said.
Speaking on the opportunities and challenges in green mobility, Mészáros Virág, CEO of the Hungarian Mobility Development Agency (Humda), emphasized that achieving carbon-neutral e-mobility is impossible without first fully embracing green energy sources. “In practically no country is mobility yet carbon-neutral in this sense,” she noted. However, there is positive news: “After years of high growth in global carbon emissions, we are now seeing evidence that green technology to reduce emissions is already making an impact,” she said, adding that emissions in the transport sector globally can indeed be brought under control.
In the final discussion, experts joined two Hungarian deputy mayors — Sándor Nagy of Szeged and Lajos Barcsa of Debrecen — to discuss their experiences and progress in improving urban mobility and the transformative role e-mobility and green transport can play in shaping cities and communities in a way that ensures a low-carbon future.
In his closing remarks, Péter Kaderják thanked participants and reflected on the event’s insights, saying: “This event gave us a good outlook on the battery industry and its biggest component, the e-mobility sector […] which appears to have a bright future, according to our experts here.” He added that developments in Hungary look promising, with progress in building up the value chain and other key areas firmly on track.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
