Bulgaria’s electric vehicle charging network to be extended

Electric mobility in Bulgaria is gaining momentum. Swiss power and automation company ABB recently announced its plan to further extend the charging station network for electric vehicles in Bulgaria, while the US-based electric car company Open Motors expressed interest to invest in Bulgaria.

In partnership with ABB, Bulgaria’s largest electric vehicle (EV) company, eMobility International, is going to build numerous charging stations for electric cars along all major highways and key roads in the country. The plan should be realized by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Up to now, the network of charging stations built by ABB Bulgaria – with ABB’s Terra 53 fast chargers in place – has covered the international routes from Sofia to the Greek border, with installations in key locations Sofia, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Blagoevgrad, Sandanski, Rakovski, Stara Zagora, Liubumetz and Bourgas, the company that employs over 2.500 people in Bulgaria said in the statement.

Now, the plan of expansion includes additional 15 charging stations along all key roads and highways across the country.

Terra 53 CJG – all in one electric vehicle charging solution, and ABB’s most popular installation – is compatible with all-electric vehicles on the Bulgarian market. Depending on the EV battery, charging times range between 15 and 60 minutes.

The single, dual or triple outlet 50 kW fast charging station are able to operate in difficult climate conditions from -35°C to 55°C, the company added in the statement. Another benefit is that ABB provides remote condition monitoring and remote troubleshooting in more than 90 per cent of the service cases.

Last month, eMobility International (Eldrive), that has been managing charging station infrastructure under the Eldrive brand, started an electric car rental service in Sofia.

The service called Spark is managed through a mobile application that allows customers to find the nearest electric car, to reserve and rent for their time. There are 25 of them available for now, located in key locations in a central part of Sofia. Cars can be hired and unlocked in a blue and green area where they are parked for free or in other specially designated locations, easily found on the map in the mobile application. The service will have 50 cars available in six months, Spark announced.

The American start-up Open Motors (previously OSVehicles), recently announced its interest in expanding its presence in Europe, with Bulgaria as a possible investment destination.

Should the company decides to invest in Bulgaria, it can count on the government’s full support, Aleksandar Manolev, energy ministry said. The investment will significantly encourage electric mobility in the country, according to the statement of the Ministry.