Flat. Oy Paturintie: A trip to the Helsinki housing association for electric cars
A charging solution that combines ecology, cost-efficiency and practical convenience.
In the summer of 2022, As. Oy Paturintie, located in Oulunkylä, implemented a comprehensive yard renovation with ARA assistance to make all 22 of the company's parking spaces ready for charging devices. However, actual charging devices were not yet purchased during the renovation, as electric car issues did not seem to be a current issue for the company's residents for the time being. GARO plug-in heating devices with manual timing were therefore put into use at this stage. The housing company consists of three terraced houses built in 1980, whose parking areas are divided into six different locations in the company's yard.
As. Oy Paturintie
Investigation into the growing need for electric vehicles
However, things started to change faster than expected in the housing company after the first resident acquired an electric car. "I got the housing company's first electric car, and I wasn't familiar with charging issues. The topic required a lot of research, and I didn't really know how to promote it. Through the Sähköautomiehet podcast, I found Antti Hiekkanen , and I contacted him in February 2023. I was very happy to receive sincere and expert advice from him about electric cars and the industry in general," says Mari Lipponen, .
The housing company felt it was important that the newly paved yard would not need to be dug up again. In the early stages of the project, the proposals surveyed from the electrical designers had varied greatly – some suggested solutions that required, for example, data cabling, which raised questions about costs and necessity. “At a stage like this, it was invaluable to get advice from, for example, Hiekkanen, who did not try to sell anything by force, but helped to outline the alternatives and the most sensible solutions,” Lipponen describes.
In spring 2023, the housing company's electric car charging solutions gained new momentum when Lipponen met Teemu Markku . Lipponen had already made progress on the matter with Hiekkanen's advice, so that the housing company's heating equipment was about to be purchased with GARO slow-charging and heating front plates that could be remotely controlled using the eParking application . However, the housing company's internal uncertainty about the subject slowed down the progress of the project. The meeting at Messukeskus brought crucial clarity to the situation.
"I told Mark that things hadn't progressed as I had hoped and asked what I should do. We still had a general meeting coming up at the time. He replied directly that it wasn't worth even considering other options - updating GARO's front panels to existing devices would be a very good, functional and affordable solution. I felt that he immediately understood the situation, which was tinged with worries and uncertainty, which is certainly exactly the same in many housing companies and very familiar to eParking," Lipponen recalls.
At such a stage, it was invaluable to get advice from, for example, Hiekkanen, who did not try to forcefully sell anything, but helped to outline the alternatives and the most sensible solutions.
— Mari Lipponen , member of the housing company's board of directors.
From the general meeting to a flexible and ecological solution
After the housing company event, approval was sought at the general meeting to use the funds left over from the yard renovation to implement the charging solution. The permission received enabled another step forward. However, at first, remote-controlled GARO front plates were not available. eParking knew that they were coming, but an exact schedule could not be promised. In the meantime, another electric car appeared in the housing company, and temporary solutions were put into use, with electricity consumption being read manually.
As the project progressed, the housing company gradually began to understand the possibilities and flexibility of charging solutions better. Another advantage was that the property manager did not need to be involved in decision-making. “We were able to ask things directly to Teemu Marku from eParking, as we gradually began to understand them and know how to ask. When the pieces started to fall into place, we realized that the system is really flexible. Whether it was a company car driver or a senior citizen, the arrangements could be adapted to different needs,” Lipponen says.
The actual contract with eParking was signed in August 2023, and in September the final Garo front plates for all parking spaces were received – the project was completed. “The installation went really quickly, which was a bit surprising. Electricians often leave behind all kinds of wire and copper pieces, but this time the work went smoothly. In our eyes, this was a very fast and smooth process, and soon the devices were already operational,” Lipponen sums up.
“At this point, we finally realized that our solution was very cost-effective: we already had the Garo posts and covers ready – only the front plates were replaced. It also seemed like an ecological choice: we didn't have to dismantle the newly renovated yard structures or re-route any cables,” he continues.
Tailored cost-effectiveness
When the housing association calculated the total costs, it was found that electrifying the entire housing association with Garo front plates cost about the same as installing one fast charger. This solution was an adequate, reasonable and fair compromise. Both the heating companies and those who initially opposed the project felt that this provided more value for money and that everyone also benefited from the solution in some way.
“Overall, the process went smoothly because we were listened to. It was important that we got answers to our questions – without the project being labeled as too small or too difficult. At the beginning, Hiekkanen was an important support in obtaining information, and later Marku practically took the project to the finish line. Through them, we felt that the solution was tailored specifically to suit our housing company,” Lipponen reflects.
Serving deployment
According to Lipponen, the implementation went well for the most part, although there were a few technical challenges at the beginning. For example, the second modem repeatedly dropped out of the network. However, the situation was resolved quickly: even though eParking operates from Tampere and the housing company is located in Helsinki, according to Lipponen, a maintenance person arrived promptly and the problem was fixed efficiently. He found the speed of response to be truly impressive.
"eParking's customer service also seems to be able to solve everything. The customer service representatives are very skilled and good at their job, handling all everyday problems related to the system, including those that you don't always know how to ask for a solution to," Lipponen praises. Individual connection failures have been rare, and Lipponen estimates that they are more likely to be related to the general network connection than to the system itself.
Mari Lipponen of As. Oy Paturintie feels that she can definitely recommend the eParking and GARO charging solution. She emphasizes that the total costs of the solution were reasonable, even though there had already been a significant investment in the property. In addition, after the time spent on research and inquiries, installation and commissioning were very easy.
Overall, he considers it important that home charging has been made to work smoothly and that the overall solution works exactly for the needs of their housing company. “I also appreciate that eParking sends out bulletins in the autumn, for example, reminding us of the arrival of winter and the need for heating. This type of communication reduces inquiries in the housing company when the information can be shared directly with the residents.”
Currently, the housing company already has four fully electric cars and one plug-in hybrid, whereas in 2022 there was only one electric car, and the majority did not yet see a need for home charging. According to Lipponen, this illustrates well how quickly the demand for electric cars and home charging has grown in a short time and how important it is for housing company residents.
For this article, we interviewed Mari Lipponen, a member of the board of directors of As. Oy Paturintie.
