BUCHAREST, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Energy company Enel X Romania announced Tuesday to invest up to 20 million euro (22.47 million U.S. dollars) to set up around 2,500 electric vehicle charging points around Romania in five years.
"Enel X Romania is committed to offering electric vehicle owners and fleets the opportunity to travel across the country...without having to worry about where to find the next charging point," said Marius Chiriac, head of Enel X Romania.
According to the company, a member of Italian Enel Group's advanced energy services division, the first charging points will be installed in 2019 in big cities like Bucharest, Timisoara and Constanta. It is expected that some 300 charging points will be installed during the year.
Enel X Romania will cooperate with "Recharge Partners" such as shopping centers, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels to carry out the installation work, while the installation and maintenance of the charging stations does not entail costs for the "Recharge Partners", as they will in return provide parking space.
Enel X Romania will also offer a similar service to municipalities that are interested in improving air quality by encouraging electric mobility and the company will provide the free installation and maintenance of the charging infrastructure on public parking spaces.
The plan envisages the installation of charging stations of 22 kW (Quick), 50 kW (Fast) and over 150 kW (Ultrafast).
A total of 2,922 new eco-friendly cars (electric and hybrid) were sold in Romania in the first three quarters of 2018, almost doubled compared to the same period of last year, according to the latest data released by the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association.
In the three years since the opening of the first charging station for electric vehicles, their number reached 130 units in Romania.
The number of charging stations in Romania is extremely small compared to other countries. For example, there are 24,000-25,000 charging stations in Germany and France, and more than 35,000 load points in the Netherlands, according to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory.
