[ad_1]
This is the first stop of the international Ionity network of the BMW Group, Mercedes Benz, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group together with Audi and Porche not only in Lithuania, but also in the Baltic countries. Two of these stops are planned to open in Estonia (the first will spring up before Christmas) and one in Latvia (early next year). In total, a network of 400 high-capacity electric car charging stations is promised in Europe.
Two more Ionity stops will start operating in Lithuania at the Circle K 2 (near Panevėžys) and Kryžkalnis 2 (halfway between Kaunas and Klaipėda) service stations of the Circle K network, which is the sole development partner for these charging stations in the Baltic States. The station near Panevėžys, together with the new gas station, should open in late September, and in Kryžkalnis, in February next year. The three gas stations with planned stops are new.
Skirmantas Mačiukas, Director of Circle K Lietuva, says that the power plant installed alongside conventional fuel for the first time in Lithuania marks a breakthrough in the traditional fuel retail market.
“We are the first among the Lithuanian service station networks to create synergies with the cars of the future. Although there are already about 2,000 electric cars in Lithuania, the network of charging points for them has been developed separately and they have not been sought. Opportunities to integrate the new type of fuel into the existing driver service infrastructure To popularize less polluting transportation and increase the number of electric vehicles in the country, not only the development of charging stations is very important, but also their convenience ”Said S.Mačiukas.
Eriko Ovcharenko / 15min nuotr./Skirmantas Maciukas
It is true that only a small part of those 2 thousand electric cars that circulate in Lithuania will be able to charge the batteries in this new station; To do this, the vehicle must have the ability to charge quickly. So this is an investment in the future, waiting for the rapid development of a new generation of electric cars.
Power is 350 kW
In addition to the main transportation arteries, the Ionity Expressway stations have a capacity of 350 kilowatts (kW). The chargers are compatible with current and future generations of electric vehicles using Europe’s leading Combined Charging System (CCS).
Jan Haugen Ihle, Director of Northern Europe at Ionity, says that the opening of the Ionity station is a significant step in the rise of e-government in the Baltic. mobility, which allows emission-free travel using only renewable energy.
The 40 kWh electric car battery can be fully charged in just 5 minutes.
“The implementation of the Ionity network in the Baltic States represents our strategic commitment to remove barriers to the use of electric vehicles by improving their service infrastructure and allowing long trips,” says Haugen Ihle.
The charging speed in the Ionity station depends on the capacity of the electric car battery and the possibility of fast charging. The 40 kWh electric car battery can be fully charged in just 5 minutes. Meanwhile, powerful super-class electric cars, including the Porsche Taycan, the Audi e-tron, some Tesla models, with batteries with a capacity of 90 kWh and more, last up to 30 minutes.
1 kWh of charge will cost 0.79 euros
Here is a concrete example. The electric car is usually charged with the remaining 20 percent. battery capacity. It is only recommended to charge it up to 80%, because then the charge slows down and time is lost. So in total, the station will need to charge about 60 percent.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15 Minute Photo / Ionity Charging Station
During the delivery of the station, a specific load case was demonstrated. A year and a half ago, the Audi e-tron was introduced, seven of which were sold in Lithuania, and the remaining battery capacity was charged to 19%. Up to 80 percent. the battery, which has a capacity of 95 kWh, charged in about 19 minutes. Without a special loyalty card issued by an Audi dealer, it cost the owner about 45 euros. 1 kWh in these powerful new stations costs 0.79 euros. Having a loyalty card (issued to everyone who buys a new electric car) more than doubles the price to 0.3 euros. So the battery charge is 19 to 80 percent. 17 euros will be decoupled.
With this charge, the Audi e-tron will travel around 220 km. If the price seems high enough, the representatives recall, 90 percent. In some cases, the batteries are charged at home, only 10 percent. must be charged at toll stations.
“Until now, the capacity of electric car charging stations in the market of our country has reached 150 kW, Vilnius had one, the most powerful, perhaps reaching 200 with a little kW, so the advantage Ionity on the market is really obvious. If we take into account the extensive Lithuanian network: 50 kW or less, the new stations are even four times more powerful. The machine can be charged for a longer journey in 5-10 minutes. As long as it takes to refuel. The car can be fully charged in 20 minutes.
But more importantly, it is the first charging station that adapts to the customer’s convenience, not located where the developers simply discovered the location, but next to the highway. Most of them are built in cities where the demand is not that high; after all, many charge electric cars at home. The problem has been traveling long distances, because electric cars are the machines of the future, they still do not travel 500 km in any weather conditions. Garliava is the most logistically attractive place: the middle between Latvia and Poland ”, explained the director of Circle K.
It is planned to expand to 6 charging points.
According to him, preparing the electrical infrastructure for these powerful plants took most of the time and effort to secure 1.25 MW of energy for power plants operating far from cities.
“It is not easy to get enough electricity in Lithuania. The stations require a lot of power. I will not mention the investment, it is very expensive. The payback is long. From the initial steps, the installation of the station took about 1.5 years. It is a investment in the future. However, we have successfully implemented the project, so we are starting together with a completely new service for ourselves and we hope to reach the part of the audience of drivers who overlooked us due to the specific characteristics of our automobile ”, expected S.Mačiukas.
According to him, the main challenge for electric car owners is the relatively limited distance that can be traveled on a charged car battery. For this reason, Ionity stops are installed on long popular routes where there are not as many battery charging options.
“Charging points for electric cars can be easily found in cities and suburbs. Especially since this type of car is usually charged at home. Our goal is to create infrastructure where it does not exist and access to the source of electricity is limited so that drivers can plan longer trips without restrictions, ”said S.Mačiukas.
Initially, a charging station will have 2 charging points, but in the future their number can easily be expanded to 6 points if the need arises.
There is also a mobile application where electric vehicle drivers can monitor the occupation of the stops at the current moment.
[ad_2]
