The Polish market is seeing more and more opportunities related to the rapidly developing electromobility. Sales of new electric cars are breaking new records year after year. What does this mean? Thousands of new cars that enter the market every year require charging points. In the article below, we suggest what to take care of when preparing to open an electric car charging station .
The trend of electromobility
According to estimates by the German institute Center Automotive Management, by the end of 2022, over 6.5 million electric cars will be sold worldwide, which is an increase of 50 percent. The spectacular increase in the number of registrations of such cars also applies to Poland. According to the report Electromobility in Poland: investments, trends, employment , developed with the participation of Bergman Engineering, in 2021 , sales of electric cars in Poland increased by as much as 120%.
Check out electric vehicle charging systems
All of this means that opening a new electric car charging station can be a lucrative venture. Unlike a petrol station, the construction of which can cost from PLN 2 to even PLN 6 million, the cost of creating a charging station is much lower. An investment in AC chargers is an expense of several dozen thousand zlotys, making the threshold for entry into this industry much lower compared to the fossil fuel sector. Of course, however, purchasing equipment is just one of many elements that must be taken care of.
What requirements must be met to open an electric vehicle charging station?
The formalities that must be completed in the case of building a new charging station are specified in the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels of 22 February 2018. The first of the simplifications adopted in this act is the lack of the need to obtain a building permit. The second convenience is the exemption from the obligation to have a license for the sale of electricity. To set up a charging point, it is enough to fulfill (in addition to the procedures necessary for establishing any business) the following formalities:
Reporting construction works
In the case of building a charging station , you can use a simplified procedure . Instead of a building permit, it is enough to report construction works to the district office or city hall. The application must be accompanied by a situation map, on which the location of the device will be marked. A declaration of the right to use the property for construction purposes will also be necessary.
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Geodetic post-construction inventory
After the investment is completed, it will be necessary to perform a post-construction geodetic inventory. This is a task for a licensed surveyor who will perform situational and elevation measurements. This is necessary so that the station can be marked on a numerical map and thus be included in the state geodetic and cartographic resources.
Technical inspection carried out by UDT
Stations that are publicly available must meet applicable standards. The most important issue is appropriate electrical protection - detailed requirements and the scope of necessary documentation are specified in the regulation of the Minister of Energy of 26 June 2019. It provides both the types of tests to which stations and charging points are subject, as well as the method and deadlines for their performance. The technical inspection of new stations is carried out by the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT) and is carried out upon request (UDT has 30 days to perform the test, counting from the date of submission of a complete application). In this case, the most important issue is the technical documentation, which consists of, among other things, a declaration of conformity issued by the manufacturer or distributor.
Entering stations into the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Register
Each publicly accessible charging station should provide the necessary information to the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Register . This requirement can be met by installing a module that will provide communication with EIPA. Appropriate software will also be required to provide the register with the required data saved in the appropriate format. Thanks to this, the new station will be placed on a nationwide map covering all charging stations.
It is worth noting that Onninen has already been on this map since 2019.
Check out electric vehicle charging systems
A proven method to quickly build new charging stations for electric vehicles
The most important thing from the driver's point of view is the charging time. How long does it take to replenish the energy? Charging a car with alternating current will take slightly longer than with direct current. However, this is not as important in the case of charging an electric car in a place where it will be standing for a long time anyway, such as in a parking lot at work or at a hotel. In this case, installing a charger can have a positive impact on the image of such an entity as an entrepreneur who cares about the environment. Importantly, such an investment does not have to be expensive.
Freestanding and wallbox chargers, which are available from Onninen, will work well here.
Standalone charger for electric vehicles
In the case of a station that is to be accessible to all customers who want to pay for energy, freestanding chargers are the best choice. Due to their structure (they resemble a pole) , they can be installed, for example, at a parking lot, sidewalk, or hotel .
For example, the LS4M-T222WO-3G model has a power of 2 x 22 kW, is equipped with a meter facilitating energy measurement and a Type 2 socket – the most popular in Europe. Its purchase costs about PLN 20,000. Similar parameters, at a slightly lower price (approx. PLN 18,500) are offered by the LS4M-T222WO-LAN model – it has the same power, a meter and a Type 2 socket. Unlike the first model, it requires wired communication.
Designer Wallbox PCE EV 11 charger with 11 kW power
An alternative to freestanding chargers are wallboxes – usually cheaper, which are good for smaller charging stations (for example, for employees, company fleets or hotel guests). They offer a range of conveniences, e.g. the PCE EV 11 model can be mounted both inside and outside buildings . This is possible because the housing is made of weather-resistant plastic, thanks to which the entire product is characterized by a degree of tightness of IP44. The housing cover is made of powder-coated steel, which provides an extremely elegant appearance. The charger is suitable for mounting not only on the wall, but also on a column, which significantly expands the possibilities of mounting such a device.
Choose a popular connector. Wallbox GC EV PowerBox 22 kW with Type 2 cable
Every electric car is equipped with a charging socket. In Europe, the most common type of plug is Type 2 , also called Mennekes after the manufacturer. The EV14 charger from Green Cell is equipped with a cable with a connector of this type. The cable is 6 meters long, which allows for convenient connection to the car.
Safety is key. Discover the GC EV Power Box 22 kW wallbox with RFID card reader
The reader protects against unauthorized use of the station. An RFID card is required to activate it, which allows the user to turn on the device and start the charging process . This model is not equipped with a charging cable, which allows you to connect both cars equipped with a type 1 and type 2 socket. Simply use a plug that fits the vehicle socket on one side and the type 2 socket that this charger is equipped with on the other.
High-power charger, i.e. SOL EVPOWER 22 kW wallbox
Thanks to the possibility of connecting the charger to a three-phase installation, you can achieve a charging power of up to 22 kW. This is the highest possible value for charging with alternating current. Although the speed of charging a vehicle with alternating current depends on the internal power of the car charger, it is worth choosing a wallbox with maximum power . Thanks to this, each vehicle will use the full potential of the charging speed.
An additional convenience in using this model is the possibility of operating it via an application. All you need is for the charging station to be within range of a Wi-Fi network.
Onninen charging stations
So far, Onninen has opened 3 charging stations – in Teolin near Łódź and in Gdańsk and Toruń. And that's not all, because soon more chargers will be launched at points located at Onninen Express branches in Opole and Lublin. Additionally , Onninen's fleet of company cars includes an electric vehicle in the form of a Skoda Enyaq. All this means that specialists from this company not only sell chargers, but also use them on a daily basis.
What are the benefits of electric car charging stations?
First of all, it is an investment in a rapidly developing industry. At this stage, entering this business will allow you to get ahead of the competition. The company's image as an ecological company and one that invests in new technologies is also important. This will happen even if the newly opened station is not commercial in nature. In this case, it is worth noting that chargers for private use and non-public ones, i.e. those that are not publicly available (such as in employee parking lots, hotel guests or in housing community garages), are exempt from UDT testing according to the regulation. This makes it much easier to cope with the formalities related to launching a non-public charging station.