Electric car charging in housing associations and parking lots increased almost tenfold in two years
The Tampere-based eParking network already has over 65,000 charging points in housing associations and parking areas across Finland. The number of electric car charging points using the network has increased almost tenfold from 2021 to 2023.
In 2021, 2.5 million kWh of electric cars were charged at eParking charging points. In 2022, the amount increased to 7.7 million kWh, and in 2023, the figure was already over 22 million kWh. The growth has been tremendous, and in the first quarter of this year alone, the number of charging points has increased by 5,000.
eParking is a pioneer in electric transportation, having developed a corporate and housing association charging network and its smart services in Finland for over 15 years. During this time, the company has achieved Finland's largest charging network suitable for all electric cars in companies, housing associations, parking garages and other parking areas.
A Tampere success story
"The idea for the company originated in the student apartment of a Master of Science (Engineering) student in automation technology from Tampere. The idea for a remotely controlled heating post came about when the distance to my own parking space was 300 meters and due to irregular travel times, the car was most often frozen, as the post's timing did not correspond to the actual departure time. This is how IGL-Technologies Oy and eTolppa, a remotely controlled car heating post, were born in 2009," says Kirsi Immonen, .
“Soon, my student friends noticed that eTolppa could also be used to charge electric cars. However, there were very few electric cars at the time, so the company primarily focused on marketing the product as a Premium heating post from the perspective of smart energy management solutions and energy savings. The company's real growth only began to be seen when rechargeable cars became more common and a comprehensive parking and charging solution, eParking, was created,” Immonen summarizes.
Most of the need for charging electric cars is at home or at work.
A comprehensive corporate and housing association charging network is one of the most important factors in the smooth everyday traffic of electric cars. An electric car can be charged during the night or during the working day for up to 150-400 kilometers of operating range, depending on the charging power. The average daily driving performance of a Finnish motorist is approximately 43 kilometers, so charging the car while parked covers the charging needs of almost all electric car drivers. Therefore, corporate and housing association charging are one of the key attraction factors in promoting electric traffic. Most electricity is charged at home or at work.
"One of our most significant projects this year is the opening of the Niittykumpu parking garage in Espoo in early 2024. In cooperation with IGL, UTU delivered over 130 UTUReX slow chargers and several UTUMaX basic chargers to the parking garage in Espoo, which can be used to charge electric cars and heat combustion engine cars. The charging stations were connected to the eParking system, which enables their smooth use as well as invoicing and load management. The products have been developed and manufactured in Finland at UTU's factory in Ulvila and are excellently suited for use in housing associations and workplaces, for example. Our experience shows that our customers value Finnish products and Finnish expertise, so IGL and UTU together are an excellent fit for the parking needs of Finns," says Anu Rantala, Head of the EV Charging Business Unit at UTU Oy.
More information:
Antti Hiekkanen, Chief Operating Officer, IGL-Technologies Oy, +358 40 820 8840, antti.hiekkanen@igl.fi
Johanna Teinilä, Marketing and Communications Manager, UTU Oy, +358 50 371 3818, johanna.teinila@utu.eu
eParking is a domestic, leading Finnish provider of digital parking and electric car charging solutions, with over 65,000 charging points across the country. With our application, you can conveniently manage parking permits, electricity consumption and billing in one place. We offer comprehensive parking and electric car charging solutions on the side of the street, in parking garages and other areas. With over 15 years of experience, IGL-Technologies Oy, which operates behind us, is committed to making the everyday lives of motorists easier by offering clear and innovative solutions to the challenges of electrification and parking management. Our goal is to promote sustainable transport by offering smart and easy-to-use solutions for both private individuals and companies.
UTU Oy is a leading Finnish operator offering products and services in the electrical and automation sector for over 100 years, with subsidiaries in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. UTU is involved in critical points in the electrical sector, including the electrification of properties, electricity distribution and energy production, as well as automation solutions. The production facilities in Ulvila manufacture domestic electric car charging devices, electrical centers and park transformer stations. The UTU Group's turnover in 2023 was 53 MEUR and the number of employees was 190. UTU #KnowsAndDoes.
Release published 19.4.2024
