The European Investment Bank (EIB) said on January 26 that it has signed a 40 million euro loan to Austrian-registered Eldrive HoldingGmbH to install 8472 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania over the next three years.
With InvestEU and the EIB''s financial support, Eldrive Holding plans to invest about €146million to deploy 4376 new EV charging stations in Romania, 2575 in Lithuania and 1530 in Bulgaria, accelerating the infrastructure rollout needed to develop clean transport in these three countries, and supporting the transition to climate neutrality, the statement said.
The project supports clean mobility and the EU Green Deal goals for sustainable transport and decarbonisation, the EIB said.
The InvestEU programme mobilises investment for EUpolicy priorities like the green transition, competitiveness, innovation and sustainable infrastructure.
The project will improve the low market penetration of electric vehicles and charging points in the three countries, and help them deliver on the EU Green Deal objective of having one million public EVchargers and alternative fuel stations spread across the 27 EU member states by 2025, the EIB said.
These EVcharging networks will underpin the shift to electric vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in urban areas of Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania.
Eldrive Holding, controlled by Bulgarian investors, already operates over 1200 EVcharging points in the three countries.
EVcharging is one of the sectors eligible for additional support under the EIB''s special initiative to support REPowerEU, the EU plan designed to end Europe''s dependence on fossil fuel imports. The EUbank has committedan additional 45billion euro in financing, on top of its regular lending volumes, for REPowerEU-aligned projects.
(Photo (c) Eldrive)
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Legal NoticeДействителен собственик на настоящото издание е Клайв Левиев-Сойър.
Bogomil Apostolov holds a master''s degree in "Electronic systems for hybrid and electric vehicles" from Sofia Technical University.He has experience in various companies in the electricity sector in Bulgaria.His professional interests include charging infrastructure for electric cars, renewable energy sources, etc.He has been part of the ABB E-mobility team in Bulgaria since the beginning of 2023. He is responsible for technical issues regarding the operation and maintenance of ABB charging stations, as well as for marketing activities related to the products.
ABB E-Mobility is a global leader in the market of electric vehicle charging stations, and from our experience and observations, we can say that the implementation of charging infrastructure is developing at a good pace and is directly related to the increase in demand for electric vehicles on the new car market recent years, ABB has increased its production capacity in the segment of fast-charging DC stations, becoming able to respond to increased market demand.A major problem for the expansion of charging station networks is the condition and power of the available power transmission and distribution network in the various locations and objects where there is a plan to install charging points.
In Bulgaria, the massive development of the charging infrastructure started about 8-9 years ago, and since then, hundreds of charging stations of all types (AC and DC stations) have been installed in the country can be said that there is good coverage of available charging points throughout its territory, depending on the demand for such a service, but in general, development here corresponds to the trends in other European countries.
To a large extent, this is indeed the deterring factor for the expansion of the network of charging stations in Bulgaria.The sizing of the electrical grid at the time it was built did not provide enough free electrical power to be used to charge electric vehicles.As a result, the number of fast charging stations in roadside locations and other remote places has been limited.
Legal regulations and the requirements for numerous documents and permits just to place a charging station at a given location represent a certain stumbling block certain cases, bureaucratic hurdles can delay projects for months.
Such a goal is feasible, but for it to happen, more electric power is needed in places where it is not available can come with the installation of renewable energy sources in the vicinity.Easing bureaucratic hurdles in the construction of charging infrastructure projects would also help meet such an ambitious goal.
As for the electric vehicle market – the realization of the set goal and the availability of a sufficient number of charging stations along the main transport routes will definitely stimulate sales because to some extent the customer reluctance to choose this long-distance mobility option stems from the lack of options to re-charge and cover long distances.
The average charging speed is constantly increasing - this is due to the installation of new and more powerful stations, which in turn is dictated by the increased demand for electric vehicles and the fact that new generations of electric cars can handle increasingly larger power loads.
At least when it comes to charging outside of cities – yes, this is the future perfast charging hubs with a large number of charging points and the ability to charge more vehicles at the same time will provide flexibility and efficiency in the use of electric vehicles over long distances.
ABB has a full range of charging stations for home use, covering all possible scenarios and customer requirements.The placement of such a charging station, and its capacity, largely depends on the technical characteristics of the installation in the household garage/basement.More and more customers are choosing this type of charging solution, and this market segment is set to grow.
Our partners from Eldrive are the largest installer and operator of ABB charging infrastructure in Bulgaria.So far, we have hundreds of charging stations installed in their network and we expect this number to grow.Our partnership has always strived to provide quality customer service and affordable charging for the benefit of electromobility development - and it will continue to do so.
Experience from abroad shows that such financial incentives predispose people to turn to electric vehicles as a mobility choice on a grand scale.Still, the way in which the financial incentives are offered and the people to whom they are directed are very important factors since for the time being most electric car brands remain not particularly affordable to the mass consumer. This is mainly determined by the standard of living in Bulgaria and the average income of the population.
The combination of charging stations and electricity generation from renewable sources is an extremely good move to reduce the carbon footprint of electric cars.One such project is currently underway in Bulgaria, in Veliko Tarnovo, where our partner is developing a charging hub with several charging points for all available ABB models.The charging stations and parking spaces are located under a canopy with photovoltaic panels, whose generated energy will be used for charging.The hub is expected to be operational in the first half of 2024.
There are expectations for enormous growth in the sector, so in five years the charging of electric cars in Bulgaria will be even better secured, featuring a large number of new and more powerful charging stations in more locations.
ABB E-Mobility''s plans for the development of the charging network in Bulgaria include joint projects with our current partners, as well as with potential new ones.Our goal is to achieve maximum quality and technical security of the electric vehicle charging service and to expand the range of locations with charging points.ABB E-Mobility is constantly working to promote and popularize electric mobility, and this will continue into the future with many new initiatives and projects.
Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
ABB has recently partnered with Fines Charging, a local charging network operator, to install 10 DC fast chargers from the newest addition to ABB''s fast charger portfolio Terra 124. Four of them have already been installed and the rest are expected to be available for public usage by the end of the first half of the year. The new chargers, located in Smolyan, Sofia and near Nova Zagora will serve as high-power charging spots for electric vehicles passing through the regions.
The charging stations will be able to charge electric vehicles with battery voltage up to 920V with up to 120 kW power. The new Terra 124 model allows two vehicles to charge simultaneously at 60 kW power each, which will significantly improve the charging speed, maximizing convenience for drivers and revenue for the charging operator. Terra 124 can easily be upgraded to Terra 184 with maximum power of 180 kW and possibility to charge two electric vehicles at the same time with up to 90 kW each.
The new family of Terra chargers are future proof, with the ability to charge the next generation of electric vehicles, including trucks and vans, with up to 920Vdc charging. When integrated to ABB Connected Services platform and under a Service level agreement, ABB can provide 24/7/365 network monitoring, remote updates, troubleshoot and onsite service within predefined response times. The chargers are connected to Fines Charging''s back-end operator system with Open Charge Point Protocol (OCCP) and can be used through the operator''s mobile application.
"We are happy to support Fines Charging with the first high-power Terra 124 chargers and contribute to the expansion of the EV charging network in Bulgaria. This is an important step towards the future of sustainable transportation in the country, in line with the European target on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% and at least 30 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030." said Radoslava Radeva, Country Sales Manager, ABB Bulgaria.
"It was a great opportunity for us to collaborate with ABB in this project. The ABB products and solutions have helped us offer our customers the best charging experience. Moving forward, we hope that our fruitful partnership will contribute to the overall improvement of the charging network in the country, and it will help us in bringing value to our growing number of customers," said Kalin Stoychev, CEO of Fines Charging.
ABB entered the e-mobility market back in 2010, and today has sold more than 400,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 85 markets; over 20,000 DC fast chargers and 380,000 AC chargers, including those sold through Chargedot. ABB received the Global E-mobility Leader 2019 award for its active role in advancing international adoption of zero-emission transport solutions. ABB offers products and services that provide a crucial contribution to support its customers in reducing their annual CO2 emissions by at least 100 megatonnes, equivalent to the annual emissions of 30 million combustion cars.
In Bulgaria, ABB has installed over 75 DC fast chargers. ABB collaborates with all existing charging network operators, completing projects to support the expansion of the charging infrastructure in the country. ABB operates in Bulgaria through two production sites for electrification products in Rakovski and two in Petrich, as well as a production site for measurement products in Plovdiv. In Varna, the company has a modern turbocharging service station, serving customers on the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts of the Black Sea. ABB''s head office in Bulgaria is located in Sofia. The company has over 2,400 employees in the country.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB''s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.
ABB''s Electrification Business Area is a global leader in electrical products and solutions, operating in more than 100 countries, with over 200 manufacturing sites. Our 50,000+ employees are dedicated to delivering safe, smart and sustainable electrification. With ABB AbilityTM enabled digital solutions at its core, our portfolio protects, connects and optimizes the flow of electrical energy for smarter electricity distribution for utilities, industry, buildings, infrastructure and mobility. For more information visit https://go.abb/electrification
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