Electric car usage leads to higher sales of charging stations, up 20 percent in 2019 according to estimates

The search for a clean life is pushing Romanians towards electric cars and off-the-grid solutions for households. According to Dan Tudose, manager and owner of E-acumulatori.ro, Romanians will buy 20 percent more electric charging stations this year compared to 2018.

“According to statistics, currently there are 1,100 electric cars in our country, with about 390 charging stations available. In 2018, 1,000,000 electric cars were registered in the European Union, with 8 vehicles per public charging station (143,000 public service points, according to www.eafo.eu),” says Tudose.

In the near future, it is estimated that both the number of electric cars and charging stations in the local market will increase exponentially. Electric cars revolutionize the automotive and transport industries. ”In ten years we will see charging stations in almost every yard in Bucharest,” says Tudose.

In Romania there are around 150 spaces (public and private) equipped with one or more electric vehicle charging stations. One of the reasons why the number of electric cars traveling on Romanian roads is low is the reduced number of charging stations and the distance between them. It is important to note that the battery of the electric car needs to be loaded only 1-2 times a week, at an average of 200 km per week. The electric car consumes an average of 20 kwh per 100 km, which represents a cost of RON 10 per 100km, equivalent to 2 liters of gasoline for a classic car, calculated at the household price for electricity of RON 0.5 per kwh.

“Office buildings equipped with loading stations in the underground car park will be preferred by multinationals who want to provide their employees with the best working conditions. Supermarkets with such electric charge points will be most sought after. Thus, the entire real estate and retail industry will contribute substantially to the development of infrastructure that is so necessary for electric cars,” says Tudose.

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Romanians who own a house, not an apartment, and have optimal conditions for charging batteries can buy their own power station. A private charging station costs an average of RON 650 for a special outdoor outlet and RON 3800 for a three-phase station, depending on the facilities it offers. The installation cost varies depending on the length of the cable route and the installation time. It is advisable to charge the electric vehicle at a low rate at night, at the lowest possible cost.

Household power systems

The life of a battery for the electric car is over 10 years, and after this period, the battery can be used to store energy in the photovoltaic system (as a second life), cutting the cost for the storage batteries. Currently, there are several new options to supplement the power consumption. The most frequent and known systems in Romania are: photovoltaic systems, storage batteries and UPS sources (Uninterruptible Power Supply).

The household owners and power consumers who intend to become also power producers (prosumer: small energy producer that can supply the power grid when not used in the house) can benefit – through The Environmental Fund Administration program – from a state subsidy up to RON 22,000, to be used in order to install a photovoltaic system. For a house, the solar panels can be installed within 2 days’ period, varying according to the complexity of the work.

The installation’s cost represents less than 5 percent within the overall investment in the house, on average. The setting-up of the photovoltaic system ensures the energy independence for a household (about 70-80 percent of the consumption is ensured by the solar panels) and it is also a transferrable investment. That means, if the householder decides to sell the house or to leave it as inheritance, the next owner will benefit from the power production for tens of years.

The system also needs storage facilities. For a household owner that needs to use only the only perimeter lighting, central heating and the surveillance system, a small storage system is enough. In the case that the client needs to use the batteries for turning on large power consuming appliances such as the microwave oven or the air conditioning system, he needs to ensure that he can supplement the power consumption. In order to choose the most efficient option, the specialists at E-acumulatori.ro analyze the frequency of power cut-offs and the duration needed by the client to use a safe solution.

After the specialists from E-acumulatori.ro estimate the kilowatts (KW) amount needed for each client, the best customized alternatives are being presented. The clients can opt between lithium-based batteries or lead-based batteries, and the selection criteria depends on the final use of the equipment. Usually, we recommend a lead-based battery that is cost-efficient, with a price less than RON 1,000

“We are heading towards a world that is more and more conscious about the importance of producing and using green energy and in which the customers are more interested in the lifetime of a battery or the cycle duration. When we talk about energy, our mindset is always taking into account alternative resources of renewable energy, with batteries being the most popular storage systems. In the future, batteries will become more and more used by households and industrial customers. The storage technologies used for batteries are tremendously evolving and this fact will lead to the decrease of batteries’ price, while the number of consumers will grow. Step by step, the energy market turns green,” added Tudose.

E-acumulatori.ro is a Romanian family business, with its roots in 2002 and strongly developed since 2009. Today, the company’s portfolio numbers 30.000 products. In 2018, E-acumulatori.ro posted a net turnover of RON 8 million (VAT excluded), up 17 per cent compared to previous year.