Will Poland build an electric car without the help of the Chinese? Time is running out, and PLN 4.5 billion is at stake
Although the negotiations between Electromobility Poland and the Chinese Chery are at the end, the government is considering cooperation in the construction of a Polish electric car with a company from another country – reports Business Insider. However, there is little time not to waste PLN 4.5 billion from the National Reconstruction Plan.
Electromobility Poland (EMP), which was to build Izera – the first Polish electric car – was to sign an agreement with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in the first quarter of 2026, according to which PLN 4.5 billion from the National Reconstruction Plan was to be transferred to its account.
The government turns its nose up at Chery
Everything indicated that the main partner who would help in building the factory and then in constructing a Polish electric car would be the Chinese concern Chery. Now, however, the government, the owner of EMP, turns its nose up and plans to look for a partner concern in another country.
The problem, however, is that establishing a joint-venture company, which will be created together with EMP by a concern with the appropriate technology, is a condition for receiving EU funding.
As a representative of the Ministry of State Assets admitted in an interview with Business Insider, the Polish government does not want a repeat of other countries and excessive dependence on Chinese technology at any cost. Currently, cooperation with Japanese, Korean and even European electric manufacturers is possible.
However, these ideas are not just a negotiation game. The change in course may be evidenced by the dismissal of Łukasz Maliczenko, vice-president of EMP, who had been responsible for negotiations with the Chinese since 2019 – initially with Geely and recently with Chery.
However, representatives of the EMP company do not believe in the possibility of changing the partner at five to twelve. As they emphasize in an interview with Business Insider, talks with the Chinese have been ongoing since 2024. Moreover, the government's ideas may now make it difficult to resume talks with Chery. Meanwhile, time is running out. At the end of August, the deadline for submitting applications for KPO payments will expire.
What happens after Izera?
Finally, let us recall that the production of Izera – a Polish electric car – was originally supposed to start in 2023. The project was finally abandoned at the end of 2024. In the meantime, the Supreme Audit Office's report, pointing out the mismanagement of the previous government of Mateusz Morawiecki, left no stone unturned on the project.
Currently, the idea is to build a Polish electromobility hub, which will include an electric car factory and a research and development center. The hub will be built in Jaworzno, where the Jizera factory was originally supposed to be located.
prepared by MKZ
