MetroAuto Oy: Responsible and efficiently - Toyota Lahti Autotalo's Charging Frank was carefully implemented for the needs of demonstration cars
MetroAuto Oy built a completely new car building in Lahti Renkomäki, Toyota Lahti, which started its operations on April 1, 2025. A completely new A-Energy-class commercial property with a geothermal heating solution and also utilizes solar electricity, built from the beginning in the old field area. In the context of a year -long construction project, the property also implemented a charging infrastructure for electric cars.
MetroAuto Oy's Toyota Lahti car dealership
Charging infrastructure as a strategic choice
It was already decided during the planning phase that the charging stations would be mainly for the company's own use, especially for charging demonstration cars. "This is to ensure that the charging stations would not be overcrowded with external users. However, in the future, it could be possible that some of the charging stations would also be opened for public use if we expanded the infrastructure," says Property Manager Kim Långström .
In the initial stages of the project, the project was carried out through an electrical contractor so that the installation of the charging solution could be seamlessly integrated into the construction schedule. "We decided to contact the electrical contractor directly and ask them for options. We wanted to seamlessly integrate the implementation of the charging infrastructure into the construction project," Långström explains.
The offers and alternatives from different operators were carefully compared before deciding on the final device and operating model. In the end, 11 11 kW UTUMaX basic charging devices manufactured by UTU Oy and one EV Box Troniq Modular power charging device supplied by UTU Oy were selected, the two-part structure of which enables charging of two cars simultaneously. All charging devices are operated by eParking. "We heard a lot of good things about these devices. In addition to the competitive price level, the user experiences of outsiders had a decisive influence on our decision," says Långström.
Flexibility, scalability and comprehensive data
The charging infrastructure for electric cars was therefore designed specifically for the charging system. "Everything was built to suit the charging stations, and the power supply to the charging stations was increased from the original plan," says Långström. The aim was to ensure the flexible expandability of the system. "The Troniq Modular charging station we currently use offers a power of 90 kW, but it can later be increased to 240 kW if necessary," he says.
Originally, the AC charging devices were selected to be devices equipped with RFID cards, but their delivery was terminated. As a result, the devices were replaced with others. Otherwise, according to Långström, the project proceeded mainly as planned. "The construction project was implemented as a turnkey contract. However, the electric charging infrastructure was a separate project, but we decided to order it from the same operator precisely for the sake of clarity. This way, we did not have to use several different electrical contractors, but one operator was responsible for everything related to electricity - from start to finish during the construction phase," Långström describes.
Långström considers that the benefit of the eParking application for the company is currently not only in managing the charging operations themselves, but also in collecting data. "The application is particularly useful for us from the perspective of the environmental manager - that is my area of responsibility here. I need to start monitoring and recording the electricity consumption of charged cars, and the eParking application makes it easier to process this data. It remains to be seen what kind of 'help' will result from this. In any case, this is something that we will probably have to collect quite accurate data about in the future due to reporting obligations," Långström considers.
User experiences and proactive customer service
Långström says he has asked for some feedback from users and says that based on everything he has heard, the devices and phone app have worked without any problems. "All of our mobile employees, even those who come here from another location, can easily activate charging," says Långström. Development needs dictated by the specific characteristics of our own charging operations have emerged, for example, in terms of managing user IDs and charging devices - test drive days or presentations of new models may require the same person to charge several vehicles at the same time.
Toyota Lahti is satisfied with the current number of charging devices. "The number of devices is currently sufficient for us, considering the volumes of electric vehicles on sale. At the moment, the number of electric cars for Toyota is not very large, but it is clearly growing. New models have just arrived and more are coming, so interest is clearly increasing and the number will certainly grow," Långström thinks.
Långström praises not only the functionality of the devices and service, but also the communication related to maintenance: “Just this week I received a call that the card terminal at the DC charging station is being replaced. It is good that the matter is announced in advance and proactively and does not just arrive unexpectedly, leaving everyone wondering what it is. We can see these devices from the store, so customers would probably notice right away that something special is happening. Advance notification helps us to inform you in advance, thus avoiding unnecessary confusion.”
We interviewed Kim Långström, Real Estate Manager at MetroAuto Oy, for a reference article.
