Estonia’s energy company Enefit opened 22 public electric vehicle charging stations in the city of Bielsko-Biala and its surrounding areas in Poland, expanding in the Polish market where it plans to open 2,500 charging points over the next four years.
Located at 19 sites, the chargers use 100 per cent green energy and are intended for charging both electric and hybrid vehicles.
Enefit has undertaken a significant expansion of the public electric vehicle charging network. As of today, Enefit Volt operates the largest charging network in the Baltics, consisting of 250 charging points, offering services in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The company’s larger goal is to establish a charging network comprising nearly 5,000 charging points within the next five years, spanning from Estonia to the German border.
“The opening of charging services in Poland brings us one step closer to our goal of creating a unified and cohesive charging network across all our home markets,” said Kert Pääbo, Head of E-Mobility at Enefit Volt. “We aim to provide electric vehicle users with confidence in the availability of chargers, not only in Estonia but also when travelling in nearby countries.”
The charging network being adopted in Poland is based on 22 kilowatts (kW), or semi-fast, chargers equipped with Type 2 sockets. According to the increase in charging demand, existing chargers will be replaced with faster chargers depending on the location.
According to Mr Pääbo, the launch of the public charging network is an important milestone in developing the service in Poland, which also marks the beginning of extensive development work.
“When installing 2,500 charging points, our primary focus is on the electric vehicle owner, for whom charging could become an integrated part of everyday life,” he added. “Unlike internal combustion engine cars, electric vehicles do not need to be driven to a gas station for refuelling; instead, charging can take place while the car is stationary. Be it at work, at the grocery store or during lunch break.”
This was Enefit’s first acquisition of an existing charging network in Poland, with the next one scheduled to take place within a few months. By the end of this year, Enefit plans to operate 100 charging points in Poland.
