Bucharest City Hall to install 50 EV charging stations in the capital

Bucharest City Hall is set to install 50 electric vehicle charging stations, each with two charging points, at 11 locations within the city.

Bucharest General Council approved the installation of the new charging stations, despite disagreements. Liberal general councilor Adrian Moraru said that such projects should be carried out by the private sector. "It's no longer the state's job to get involved, as [former mayor] Mrs. Firea used to do, and let the state do everything. We, the Liberals, believe that where there are services in the market, we should let the market operate. And believe me, there are so many people interested in setting up charging stations in the private sector. I'm referring to major players, not SMEs," he said, cited by economedia.

In reply, Bucharest general mayor Nicușor Dan argued that the necessary number of charging stations is not covered at the municipal level in Bucharest. He noted the program initiated by the Ministry of the Environment encouraging local authorities to install such charging stations.

According to the feasibility study approved by the Bucharest General Council, there are currently 286 charging stations in Bucharest, but many streets or areas in the capital lack coverage or have poor coverage. The investment objective aims to establish a minimum of two charging points at each station, supplied from the same delivery point in the public distribution network, with one point allowing for continuous charging at a power of 50 kW, and another allowing for alternating current charging at a power of 22 kW, as well as simultaneous charging.

Two parking spaces exclusively for electric vehicle charging, marked in green, will be provided at the charging station locations. The stations will be located in the following areas: Esplanada Gării Băneasa and Tipografilor Street, Piaţa Victoriei parking towards Buzeşti, World Trade Plaza, Nicolae Caramfil Street, Chiristigiilor Street, Halele Obor Street, Morarilor Road – Vergului Road, Calea Văcăreşti – Arhivele Statului, Bulevardul Unirii, Libertăţii Boulevard, Calea 13 Septembrie.

The total investment value is estimated at RON 17.9 million (EUR 3.59 million), including VAT, and the duration of implementation is 15 months, with two months for design and 13 months for execution.

Romania recently dropped 6 spots in the Roland Berger EV Charging Index. The country ranks 25th, with 39 points out of 100, down from 19th in the summer of 2022. The study says that although EV adoption has been accelerating in Romania, the country still needs to ramp up the expansion of its charging infrastructure.