Opposition MP Ryan Callus laid harsh criticisms towards the government on its failed commitment to promote and support electric vehicles, the Climate Action Authority (CAA) spoke positively on the works being done to enhance electric vehicles' (EV) charging infrastructure - even though works are set to miss 2025's end-of-year deadline to do so.

The Malta Independent on Sunday reported that the government is on track to miss its own end-of-year target to bolster electric vehicle charging infrastructure, despite setting its own targets and rehashing said targets when it similarly failed to come close to the desired mark by the end of last year, 2024.

In relation to the story published on The Malta Independent on Sunday about the government looking to fall short of its target, this newsroom contacted both the Climate Action Authority (CAA) and Ryan Callus the Nationalist Party's energy sector shadow minister on their respective thoughts on the slow progress to expand electric vehicles' charging infrastructure across the Maltese islands.

The government was envisioning adding at least 1,200 new EV charging points across Malta and Gozo as a means to promote and support electric vehicles. The Energy and Water Agency (EWA) recently told this newsroom that this project's implementation phase shall be extending into 2026.

This newsroom estimated that the Maltese islands have no more than 426 total public EV charging points - over a thousand less than the amount we're supposed to have by the end of the year (just under 1,600 EV charging points).

The Nationalist Party's energy spokesperson, Ryan Callus, said that the government is underperforming to promote this sector in various ways, such as through its failure to abide by its own targets to invest in electric charging points, through the decision to reduce the size of the electric vehicle government grant from €11,000 to €8,000 in last year's budget, the "redacted electrification of public buses," and more.

On the government looking to miss its EV charging point target by so much, Callus said that those in power to enhance this infrastructure are "incompetent" for failing to abide by their own set targets.

"It is total incompetence. It is unacceptable for a charging station to be non-functional for months; I understand issues with parts, but a serious system should have everything in store for such issues to be rectified immediately," Callus said, noting that some charging stations have been reportedly non-functional "for months."

"In my opinion, the government isn't doing enough for electric vehicle targets to be reached; the EV grant was reduced, infrastructure is still inadequate, [and] people who don't need to depend on this infrastructure and can charge their EVs at home are not as advantaged as they can be," Callus said.

He added that "generally, people who don't have a garage think twice about buying an electric vehicle because they will be totally dependent on public infrastructure" and that those considering on switching from an ICE car to an electric vehicle have "a flood of things to worry about" - such as the viability of purchasing one if one does not own a garage to charge it in.

Alongside his criticisms that the government will be missing these targets for the end of this year, the PN MP saw it "ironic" how Energy Minister Miriam Dalli "boasts that carbon emissions have been reduced through energy generation, when the decrease in emissions happened because of the interconnector."

"The irony is that the Minister is boasting about reducing carbon emissions - which is not correct, because emissions went down through the heightened used of the interconnector - and where we have the possibility to decrease emissions in Malta, they are underperforming," Callus says.

Hence, he said it is ironic that Minister Dalli continues to make statements on Malta's reduced carbon emissions when "what is supposed to be done in Malta is not being done." As an example, Callus noted that a significant portion of carbon emissions across the Maltese islands stem from the transport sector, yet measures to electrify all vehicles (away from petrol and diesel-powered cars) is, in his opinion, moving too slowly.

Regarding government investments to promote electric vehicles, Callus told this newsroom that certain political decisions are not only stagnating this movement but are making electric vehicles less attractive in the eyes of the general public.

The Opposition MP remarked that aside from "not investing in electric charging points," during last year's budget in October 2024, the government decided to decrease the amount of money distributed per individual electric vehicle grant. This was reduced by €3,000 per grant, active for all electric cars registered in 2025 onwards; the sum received by recipients reduced from €11,000 to €8,000.

Defending this decision in November last year, the government had declared that the general price of electric vehicles had reduced considerably since previous years, so even though the grant had been reduced, the grant's reduced sum actually comprised of a larger percentage of the average price of an electric vehicle than when the €11,000 sum was initially introduced. Transport Minister Chris Bonett had said that when the €11,000 sum was devised, the average electric vehicle cost €33,000, though this had dropped to €20,000 as of last November.

Callus also observed that local enforcement against those illegally parking on charging stations still greatly lags behind and is often not very effective in deterring non-EVs from taking up these spaces. He observed that such enforcement is stricter in Sicily, whereas in Malta, "action might be taken" after an EV owner reports it themselves or an EV owner might call the person illegally occupying the space, resulting in them either waiting for them to move their car or leaving entirely.

"We still do not have a rigorous system that penalizes those who illegally park on charging stations. There is a lack of political will to keep up the pace of investment into charging stations," Callus said.

"These are all things leading to problems for us not just to reach targets and boost public confidence to purchase these vehicles, but we are kidding ourselves because more ICE cars on our roads produce more emissions," he continued.

To further incentivise the purchase of electric vehicles, the PN MP called for EV owners who charge their personal electric vehicles in their home garages through Enemalta's minimum charging rate of around €0.105. At the moment, the cheapest rate for electric cars is €0.1298.

Callus also made reference to the redacted effort to electrify the fleet of public buses. Earlier this May, the PN issued a statement, citing "government incompetence," where it condemned the government for shipping in 100 new diesel-powered buses instead of 100 new electric buses as was promised in 2023. In response, the Labour Party said that these millions of euro in EU funds were shifted towards government grants to incentivise the purchase of electric vehicles.

"In a good economy, shouldn't we have a fund for electric vehicles and a fund to invest in 100 electric buses? When the economy is doing well, we shouldn't need to choose between two such options," Callus stated.

"Till today, [the government] has not shown that it is committed to make the switch for the electrification of our systems. The pace is slow next to the global pace - we are lagging behind," the PN MP added.

He also commented that as a country, "we haven't even begun discussing having a fully electric public transport system."

Climate Action Authority praises overall direction and preparations for upcoming works

The CAA was meanwhile optimistic about the EWA's progress in strengthening this infrastructure, even though these works are extending past the end-of-year deadline.

"While acknowledging the Auditor General's report, which noted both progress and the need for faster implementation, the Authority believes recent steps by the Energy and Water Agency, including tender publications and permit issuances, lay the groundwork for acceleration," the CAA said.

The CAA welcomed the growing popularity of electric vehicles in Malta, citing that according to recent Eurostat data, Malta is "among the EU leaders in battery-only car registrations for 2024, a result largely driven by generous government incentives." It added that this reflects "a strong national commitment to cleaner transport, which must be matched by timely investment in public charging infrastructure."

The Climate Action Authority did not comment on the missed deadlines for this initiative. Instead, it favoured the positive side of things that, deadlines or not, the country is heading in this greener direction.

"The Climate Action Authority welcomes the positive trend in electric vehicle adoption. Recent Eurostat data shows Malta among the EU leaders in battery-only car registrations for 2024, a result largely driven by generous government incentives. This reflects a strong national commitment to cleaner transport, which must be matched by timely investment in public charging infrastructure," the CAA declared.

The Climate Action Authority was launched in October 2024 and is responsible for coordinating and overseeing measures and regulations related to climate change across the Maltese islands. It does so through direct consultation with the government's ministries. The CAA was the first such authority to be founded in the European continent and was founded five years after the Parliament of Malta declared a climate emergency.