Estonia ranks among the lowest in Europe when it comes to the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. More than half of the country’s charging stations are concentrated in Harju County, leaving smaller towns and rural areas with virtually no charging options.
Near Tallinn, in the city of Rapla, there are only six charging stations for electric cars, highlighting the stagnation of Estonia’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Rapla Municipality is highly interested in expanding the number of public charging stations.
“For every EV charging connection point, an electrical connection must be established — essentially, a cable that supplies electricity — and setting up such a connection is a very costly undertaking. Additionally, there are relatively few electric cars in our region, which immediately raises concerns for private businesses about the return on investment,” said Heiti Vahtra, Rapla Municipality’s development manager.
The municipality has invested in electrical connections itself and is currently seeking operators for two locations to provide charging services.
“In fact, we are currently running a public procurement process to find a concession partner who would build five new EV charging hubs in Rapla Municipality,” Vahtra added.
More read: ERR.EE