eMobility on the
Sunny Side
of the Alps
Current status • Charging infrastructure
What works • Hurdles • DeMS activities
Ignac Završnik
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
GEVA meeting • 2 June 2026
About DeMS
Who we are
~6000
Members and EV community followers
3rd year
Running independent charging evaluations
2017
Founded — one of Slovenia's first EV advocacy organisations
What DeMS does
DeMS is the Slovenian e-Mobility Society — a non-profit community of EV drivers, advocates, and experts.
We track market data, evaluate public charging infrastructure, organise community events, and represent EV users in policy discussions. We publish independent benchmarks on charging quality, cost, and accessibility across Slovenia — and share findings with operators and policymakers.
Our goal: make EV ownership simpler, cheaper, and more reliable for everyone — not just early adopters.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Slovenia 2025: momentum is real
Snapshot
6,419
New BEV registrations (2025)
11.2%
BEV share of new registrations
103.9%
YoY growth of new BEV registrations
What this means
2025 was a breakout year for BEV registrations in Slovenia.
The direction is clearly positive, but Slovenia still remains below the EU BEV average (17.4%) and behind Austria (21.5%). The next challenge is not only more sales — it is a more reliable, transparent and predictable charging experience.
Takeaway: Slovenia has crossed from early adoption into scale-up mode.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
April 2026: BEV growth continues
Snapshot
6,004
New registrations
+15.6% vs. April 2025
17.1%
BEV market share April
1,025 vehicles · +156% YoY
3,313
BEV Jan–Apr 2026
+96% vs. 2025 (1,689)
~12%
Diesel market share (est.)
▼ declining trend
BEV market share – comparison
neighbouring Austria Apr. 2026
25.9%
EU Q1 2026
~19.0%
Slovenia Apr. 2026
17.1%
Slovenia Jan–Apr 2026
14.7%
Slovenia 2025
11.2%
Slovenia 2024
6.0%
Slovenia, Apr 2026: 17.1% BEV share — above-average growth (+156% year-over-year). Diesel below 12% and declining. The direction is clear.
Source: Chamber of Commerce Slovenia · ACEA · Ardi Int. · DeMS own calculations
March 2026: a historic milestone
Milestone
March 2026: for the first time in history, the best-selling car in Slovenia was electric
352
Tesla Model 3 – registrations
#1 bestseller in March 2026
1,162
BEV registrations March 2026
+242% vs. March 2025
6,535
Total registrations March 2026
+23.7% vs. March 2025
Passenger car sales ranking – March 2026
🥇 #1 Tesla Model 3
352 registrations
🥈 #2 Nissan Qashqai
241 registrations
🥉 #3 Škoda Octavia
199 registrations
Electrification is no longer a future promise — it is the reality of the Slovenian car market.
Source: Žurnal24, Chamber of Commerce Slovenia · DeMS analysis
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society · Source: Žurnal24, Chamber of Commerce Slovenia
Charging infrastructure and evaluation
Infrastructure
Charging infrastructure: status 2025
34,9 %
DC ultra-fast charge points
231 points across 44 locations
231
Ultra-fast charge points
150 kW+ DC chargers
> 2.900
public charge points in Slovenia
2025 total
44
ultra-fast locations
150 kW+ charge points
Public charging evaluation – DeMS field work
81
locations visited (2025)
3rd consecutive year
56
locations visited (2024)
1st evaluation year
200+
volunteer hours
field work and analysis
10
EV models used
all tested in the field
What DeMS evaluates:
• Availability and functionality (incl. partial failures)
• Ease of activation and payment (AFIR direction)
• Signage, accessibility, ICE-ing, UX
• Cost vs. fossil fuels (€/100 km)
• Transparent evaluation for users, operators, and decision-makers
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society · Analysis 2025
Public charging has expanded, but the experience is still uneven
Infrastructure
> 2,900
public charge points in Slovenia (2025)
More ultra-fast sites (150 kW+) mean shorter stops.
Capacity can still feel tight at the busiest locations.
Regional coverage remains uneven.
Reliability, payment friction, ICE-ing and
signage still shape the real experience.
User experience still decides adoption.
Newer high-power sites improve convenience
From a user perspective, the network is no longer the main question. Consistency is.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
DeMS field evaluation gives the market a user-first view
Benchmarking
Third year running • field-based evaluation across Slovenia
Field work + methodology
Transparent benchmarking for users, operators and policymakers
81
locations visited
6,000
km driven
200+
volunteer hours
10
EV models used
What DeMS measures
Availability and functionality, including partial failures
Ease of activation and payment, including AFIR direction
Signage, accessibility, ICE-ing and overall user experience
Cost comparison versus fossil fuels (€/100 km framing)
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Adoption depends on both user confidence and operator economics
What matters
Users need
Seamless credit card payments
Clear and transparent pricing
Sites that are easy to find
Reliability that feels routine — "it just works"
Operators need
Business cases beyond high-traffic corridors
Faster permitting for new sites
Sufficient grid connection and power availability
Implication: stable incentives + clear rules + faster permitting unlock build-out where the market alone will not.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Multi-dwelling buildings: the missing piece of inclusive EV adoption
Policy & practice
What blocks residents today
Administrative bans without technical analysis
Uncertainty over grid capacity and fire liability
Lack of load management knowledge among building managers
Information asymmetry leads to precautionary prohibitions
What DeMS recommends
Replace blanket bans with technical conditions (IEC 60364-7-722)
Dynamic load management enables safe multi-point charging in existing buildings
EU EPBD 2024/1275 obliges member states to act — national framework must follow
DeMS position (since 2019): banning certified charging points creates a greater safety risk than standardised solutions — unregulated workarounds (household sockets, extension cords) are the real danger.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
The next wave goes beyond passenger cars
Broader EV segments
Passenger cars are the visible tip of a much broader electrification story.
🚲 E-bikes & micromobility
Strong incentive uptake; supports urban modal shift.
🚐 Electric vans
Last-mile logistics; depot and workplace charging become critical.
🚌 E-buses
Route and depot planning matter; grid connection timing can be the bottleneck.
🚛 E-trucks
Still early stage; requires high-power depots and corridor HPC build-out.
🛵 E-motorbikes / scooters
Urban use case; needs safe, simple charging access.
For GEVA peers, the next challenge is depot charging, connection lead-times and smart load management.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Community events help make EV adoption visible
DeMS flagship event
“Christmas Tesla Lightshow” · Komenda · Dec 2025
Why it matters
EVs become mainstream culture, not niche tech.
Events drive membership growth and public engagement.
International formats can be shared across clubs.
Social proof accelerates adoption.
Visibility matters almost as much as infrastructure.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Bedouin DeMS Adventure 2026: EV meets the Sahara
Autumn 2026
10 teams · 10 EVs · Ljubljana – Morocco – Ljubljana
What this adventure will prove
Batteries perform in extreme heat: real-world data, not lab conditions.
Charging infrastructure works where it is sparse — or fails visibly when it does not.
10 vehicles × same route = statistically meaningful results, not anecdote.
Combined 80,000 km — twice around the world — all electric, zero fuel.
Proven track record: Nordkapp 2025 — 9 EVs, 70,000+ km, Arctic Circle, zero fuel.
“The lab measures promises. We measure reality.”
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
International exchange helps Slovenia move faster
Learning & exchange
Example: DeMS "Bistra" expert event (Dec 2024)
International input
Norway: sales and policy lessons
Netherlands: smart charging and pricing
Hungary: EV trends and incentives
Austria: adoption dip and recovery
Local stakeholders
MOPE (Ministry), ELES, Elektro Ljubljana
Petrol, MOL Slovenia, Nomago
Public discussion on infrastructure planning and power constraints
Why GEVA matters: proven playbooks on incentives, smart charging and charger UX can be reused instead of reinvented.
DeMS – Slovenian e-Mobility Society
Three priorities would accelerate adoption
DeMS view
What would make the next phase easier
1
Stable policy & incentives
Predictable support for BEVs and charging, including rural viability.
2
User-first charging UX
Card payments, clear pricing, signage and dependable operation.
3
Transparent evaluation & smart load management
Independent benchmarking plus dynamic power sharing where the grid is constrained.
Thank you • Q&A
ignac.zavrsnik@dems.si
www.dems.si
⚡