The network of ČEZ Group public charging stations, the largest of its kind in the Czech Republic, began its development in 2012. Since then, the green chargers with the ČEZ logo have become one of the symbols of this form of ecological transport. Each of the 250 stations represents two charging points, so the ČEZ network can recharge the batteries of up to 500 electric cars at a time. The total rated capacity of charging points in the network is 16.3 thousand kW, which is, for example, the equivalent of a medium-sized hydroelectric power plant supplying emission-free electricity to households in a city with 50,000 residents.
Fast charging stations which make up 80% of the network today make it possible to charge most of the capacity of batteries of all types and brands of electric vehicles in the order of tens of minutes. ČEZ guarantees e-car drivers the consumption of truly emission-free energy – thanks to the certification of the origin of electricity from renewable sources of the market operator OTE.
“The number of electric cars in the Czech Republic has exceeded 5,000, with over two thousand purely electric e-cars added so far this year alone. ČEZ is responding to this trend by increasing the pace of installation, especially of fast-charging stations. While last year we built 60 of them, this year we want to reach the goal of eighty operational stations. Within five years, we want to triple the total performance of all stations in our network to 50,000 kW”, says Pavel Cyrani, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and ČEZ Sales and Strategy Division Head.
“Today, only locations with two or more stations can fully cover the dynamically growing demand for public charging. And this is exactly what we will want to focus on. We also estimate that, despite the pandemic, for the first time in history, the volume of electricity consumed in our network will break the amount of 2.5 million kWh this year“, adds Tomáš Chmelík, ČEZ Clean Technology Section Manager.
“One of our priorities is environmental protection and sustainability. We perceive an ever-growing interest in electromobility among our customers. We are therefore very pleased that, in addition to many other activities in this area, we can also offer them the charging of electric cars at our stores, which they can use during their shopping. We will continue this cooperation with ČEZ in other locations across the entire Czech Republic”, adds Martin Piterák, a member of the management and Chief Operations Officer of Kaufland.
“This year, the Czech Republic has fully entered the electromobile era. This is evidenced by more than two thousand new registrations of pure electric cars and dozens of installed charging stations. As the largest seller of electric cars on the Czech market, we consider it important that the construction of infrastructure for public charging continues to keep pace with the dynamic growth in the number of electric cars on czech roads. In neighbouring Germany, they plan to have fast charging stations on a quarter of petrol stations by 2022, at least 50% by the end of 2024 and at least 75% by the end of 2026. In accordance with the strategic goals of the National Action Plan for Clean Mobility, 35,000 charging points should be built on the Czech market by 2030. In the future, the expansion of infrastructure must be more driven by future demand, not by current needs. Europe is entering the blockbuster era, the Czech Republic must not remain in the background”, says Bohdan Wojnar, Member of the Board of Directors of ŠKODA AUTO for Human Resources Management.
“This year was a turning point, the development of electromobility is accelerating dynamically and this trend will not change in the coming years. As a leader in providing equipment and technologies for electromobility, we want the transition to emission-free transport to be as smooth as possible from the point of view of user comfort. Therefore, in the development of our charging stations, we are constantly shortening the charging rate and at the same time giving them such a design that they can comfortably fit into urban environments that often struggle with lack of space”, says Vladimír Janypka, Director of Electrical Engineering, ABB Czech Republic.
There are more than 500 professional public charging stations in operation in the Czech Republic. There are about 10 electric cars per one, which is the optimal ratio maintained even by countries with a developed use of electric traction in transport. ČEZ has long maintained a roughly 50% share of the domestic charging station market. For more, visit http://www.elektromobilita.cz/cs/mapa-dobijecich-stanic.html.
The ABB fast charging stand is equipped with DC connectors with CHAdeMO and CCS standards with an output of up to 50 kW. Charging stations also offer AC charging with the Mennekes connector enabling charging with an output of up to 22 kW thus charging most of the battery within 2 hours.
When using the entire network of ČEZ charging stations, users identify themselves with a customer RFID card before charging. For e-car drivers, it will also be enough to download the FUTUR/E/GO application launched this year, which, together with a web interface (the so-called driver's portal), makes it easy to manage their accounts. ČEZ customers have a choice of different tariffs. The three tariffs contain a “prepaid” component, which provides the customer with a lower price per kWh of charged energy. The fourth “Pay as you go” tariff is intended for customers who do not want to be bound in any way and only pay for the subscription in a given month. Of course, the offer also includes charging for unregistered customers, who pay for each one-time session. For more, visit https://www.elektromobilita.cz/cs/jak-se-stat-zakaznikem.
The ČEZ Group has been active in the area of electromobility development since 2009. Since the very beginning, its primary activity has been the construction and operation of public charging stations. Today its scope is much wider and includes a service to customers from the retail segment (ČEZ Prodej, s.r.o.) as well as a service to clients from the business sector, municipalities or regions (ČEZ ESCO). The ČEZ Group provides, for example, design and installation of turnkey charging stations, electrification of car fleets, charging platforms, including IT solutions, rentals or sales of electric cars or wall boxes and charging cables. For local authorities, ČEZ offers the implementation and operation of charging stations for electric buses or design of electromobility concepts in individual towns and regions. For more, visit http://www.elektromobilita.cz/cs/mapa-dobijecich-stanic.html
