Baltic, Car market, Ecology, Energy, Good for Business, Transport

Following the main international transit routes, three charging stations will be built in Lithuania and three more in Latvia and Estonia. IONITY is not disclosing the exact locations of its Baltic charging stations, but Circle K was chosen as a location partner. The company’s focus will be on long-distance travel. Construction is set to commence in December 2019 with the stations being up and running in 2020.

“We are very optimistic about the Baltic EV market. We believe we will contribute to its further growth. While we are planning to start with 2 charging outlets for each of our Baltic stations, our infrastructure will be ready to support up to 6 outlets per site, as the demand increases,” according to Jan Haugen Ihle, Head of IONITY Northern Europe.

Ihle is unable to reveal the exact amount IONITY plans to invest into the 6-station network in the Baltics, but can say that that the local OEMs will be responsible for marketing in the Baltics, yet all EV owners will be able to benefit from the network due to IONITY’s transparent and universal 8 EUR per charge pricing model.

GATAS was selected as the infrastructure partner for the IONITY network in the Baltic states. According to Ihle, the decision was based in part on the company’s experience in traffic and EV infrastructure, as well as a strong belief in the future of electric vehicles.

Ingrida Kondrotienė, the CEO of GATAS, says that the IONITY network will be a significant addition to Baltic EV infrastructure and should give the EV market a major boost.

“Clearly, the charging speed and gaps in long-distance infrastructure have been the major bottlenecks limiting the local EV market. We are proud to be able to lay a strong foundation for the future of the Baltic EV market by filling these gaps together with IONITY,” Kondrotienė states.

"The Lithuanian EV market has been growing really fast. And so we plan to offer high-power charging stations and the best EV charging experience at our retail locations in the main transport arteries. In this project, we have one main goal with major car manufacturers: to ensure fast car battery charging and, consequently, to save drivers' time. We are sure that the excellence of our services - from snacks to fuel, both conventional and electric - make us unique in the market," adds Skirmantas Mačiukas, the CEO of Circle K Lithuania.

Currently, IONITY has almost 150 charging stations in operation across Europe, expanding to a further 250 sites, with a planned total of 2400 charging points in 24 countries by the end of 2020. IONITY's charging speed is 7 times faster than the standard found today. This significant improvement is achieved by providing the maximum charging power of up to 350 kW per charger at its stations. IONITY’s infrastructure is compatible with all CCS-compliant vehicles: The Combined Charging System (CCS) is the most widely supported charging standard in Europe and is compatible with almost all EVs on sale today and in the near future.  The IONITY High-Power charging network is powered by 100% renewable energy. By offering only renewable energy IONITY is acting responsibly to reduce the individual CO2 footprint of all customers charging at IONITY stations.

IONITY is based in Munich and was founded in 2017; it is a joint venture of the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, and the Volkswagen Group with Porsche AG. The goal of the joint venture is to build an extensive and reliable 350 kW High-Power-Charging network (HPC) for electric vehicles in Europe to make long-distance EV travel a reality. IONITY has been able to secure attractive national and international locations through its strong partners.