Ten stores of the largest Romanian retailer will be the basis for the country’s free public network of charging stations for electric vehicles. Kaufland, owned by Schwarz Gruppe GmbH, opened the first unit at Barbu Văcărescu in Bucharest, where its headquarters are, and plans to increase the number to ten by the end of the year at its locations between Arad and Constanţa. One more charger is installed at Ploiești.
The investment in the overall project in partnership with renewable energy company RG Renovatio Group is worth EUR 10 million, as the supermarket operator bought 18 e-Golfs for EUR 34,900 each, donating three of them to non-governmental organizations Hospice Casa Speranței, Habitat for Humanity, and Let’s Do It, Romania!
The initial E-charge network are fast-loading stations of 20 kW (CHAdeMO and CCS) and three-phase AC type 2 chargers of 22kWh. They cost up to EUR 30,000 each, while the connection point costs between EUR 5,000 and EUR 15,000, said Renovatio. The charging time is up to one hour, while the unit in Ploiești is twice as fast. The firm registered in Cyprus owns wind farms with an overall capacity of 350 MW in Romania, as well as 20 MW in photovoltaic plants. It announced it will increase the number of public chargers to 50 in two to three years.
Last year the number of hybrid an electric cars sold in Romania more than doubled to 495 units, according to the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA). Last month the number rose 113.6% from March of 2015, to 126 vehicles.
