Elektrum Drive public charging station for electric cars was opened in Tartu Lõunakeskus
Elektrum develops the largest public charging network for electric cars in the Baltic States and opened a charging station in Tartu Lõunakeskus. In the Elektrum Drive charging network, it is planned to open more than 3,000 charging points by 2030, of which nearly 1,000 will be built in Estonia.
The total number of electric vehicles registered in Estonia is approaching 6,000 electric cars, and Elektrum is preparing for a significant increase in the number of electric cars. Thats why the charging station was opened in Tallinn last November and will be opened in Tartu and Narva this year. This year, nearly 100 charging points will be added to the charging network of Elektrum Drive. It is planned to build 500 charging points in Estonia by 2027, and nearly 1,000 by the end of the decade, while more than 3,000 charging points will be built in the Baltic countries.
Andrus Liivand, member of the board of Elektrum Eesti: "The number of electric vehicles is growing rapidly and should reach a significant level in this decade. This requires us to establish a large-scale charging network for electric vehicles, as well as new business forms that offer various additional services in addition to the electromobility service. Forecasts show that in 2025 there may be nearly 17,000 electric vehicles in Estonia, while in 2030 there will already be at least 50,000. With electromobility, charging options will also expand - by 2030, at least one public charging point will be needed for every 10-15 electric cars. Therefore, we are actively looking for partners among commercial real estate owners to find places to introduce innovative charging solutions.”
According to the deputy mayor of Tartu, Raimond Tamme, the more extensive introduction of electric cars will have a positive effect on the everyday living environment, as the pollution of the outside air and the noise caused by car traffic will decrease. "In the strategic plans of the city of Tartu, we have taken into account the significant increase in the share of electric vehicles in city traffic. The more charging options there are in public spaces, the faster electric vehicles are purchased. In the past, due to the lack of interest from the private sector, we have installed public fast chargers in the city center at the request of the city government, but fortunately, the growing demand has made the charging service attractive enough for the private sector," added Tamm.
According to Silver Hage, member of Astri Group's council and head of sustainability, the promotion of charging infrastructure for electric cars is an important part of Astri Group's green strategy. "The Elektrum Drive chargers installed near Tartu Lõunakeskus are a good addition to Tartu's charging infrastructure. Public charging points play an important role both in long-distance journeys and in the growth of the number of electric cars. In the short term, however, there are obstacles to charging at apartment buildings. The presence of chargers in shopping centers is self-evident, and our strategy envisages the installation of chargers with different speeds near all the main entrances of Lõunakeskus and other buildings of the shopping park. While charging, the customer can eat, shop and hang out at the center."
Elektrum Drive is used through a mobile application, or app, with which you can immediately pay for the purchased electricity. Among other things, the application allows you to choose the length of the scheduled charging time so that other users can see when the station is available. In addition, it is possible to plan the way to the charging stations using the navigation platforms available on the mobile device, as well as to pay on a monthly basis.
Elektrum Drive’i apps
Elektrum Estonia
Elektrum Eesti is an energy sales company that offers customers natural gas, solar energy, storage and heating solutions and electric car charging solutions under the Elektrum Drive brand in addition to electricity.
Elektrum Eesti belongs to the Latvenergo Group, which is a leading energy supplier and green energy producer in the Baltics. The group's companies serve a total of 740,000 customers in the Baltics, and 60% of the group's energy production comes from renewable energy sources.