Electric mobility is currently experiencing booming growth. Within four years, the capacity of the Elektrum Drive charging network has expanded from 7 to more than 250 charging ports this year; furthermore, our services are available throughout the Baltic states. The next milestone of development will involve the construction of a network of 35 publicly accessible charging stations for cars and heavy electric vehicles on the TEN-T roads of the European transport network by 2026, which will be the most extensive charging network of this kind in Latvia.

Latvenergo AS will develop an ultra-fast charging network for electric cars on TEN-T roads in Latvia and, afterwards, in the neighbouring countries under the Elektrum Drive brand. The establishment of 35 charging stations with 136 charging ports is planned within the framework of the network by 2026 with the funding attracted through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Four charging ports with a minimum capacity of 150 kW will be installed at each charging station, and two unique stations in Daugavpils and Ventspils will have two charging ports with a minimum capacity of 350 kW each, suitable for charging heavy cargo vehicles.

TEN-T, or the trans-European transport network, is a unified network of rail, inland waterway, road, maritime, air and multimodal transport infrastructure in the European Union, aimed at creating a transport infrastructure that strengthens the single market, ensures the smooth flow of goods and people, and boosts EU competitiveness. The project is a part of the Elektrum Drive Baltic Charging Network Development Plan, which provides for the installation of 1,200 charging ports available for public charging by 2026 and 3,000 – by 2030.

The objective of Elektrum Drive is not only to help maintain Latvia’s reputation as the leading electric car charging location in the Baltic states but to further expand our infrastructure in all three Baltic states and perhaps beyond, with a total of 1,200-1,500 charging ports by 2026 and up to 3,000 by 2030. Among other major road networks of the EU, the TEN-T road network is one of the main branches involving 100% green energy use. As a Group, we are thus also moving towards one of our goals – to make a significant contribution to our own, national and European sustainability by preventing hundreds of tonnes of CO₂ from entering the environment every year. By contributing to the European Green Deal, the project will only use green energy, with a green energy certificate confirming its origin.

From internal combustion to electric cars

Societal change never happens quickly, especially in areas that involve changing habitual patterns, and the shift from internal combustion to electric cars is no different. This process usually involves several steps, starting from early adopters, who are followed by those who are ready for change, and only then by others who are willing to follow.

At the moment we are at a stage where those who are ready for change are ready to use electric cars; we cannot talk about mass adoption yet. For this to happen, we need to work through the myths and explain their causes. We, as the Elektrum Drive charging network, are setting an example for society by tackling the root causes of these classic myths, for example by conducting performance tests of electric cars in the Baltic states, by building charging solutions where they are needed, and also as a company by replacing our own fleet with electric cars, where feasible. It must be mentioned that it is up to each individual to decide whether they are ready to make their habitual pattern change and when. What the users can be sure of is that we, as infrastructure developers, will be there for the user, providing solutions to ensure that the electric car is charged when and where it is necessary – either at the side of an apartment block or motorway, at home, in the supermarket or at the office.

A comprehensive charging network will boost the choice of electric cars

We consider EV charging, both public, as well as solutions for our customers, legal entities and natural persons, as one of the strategic development directions of Latvenergo, and will invest a lot of energy in providing the necessary solutions promptly in the domestic markets, currently – in all three Baltic states. This business is not for quick profit hunters, it is about well-considered, long-term, smart investments. As the Elektrum Drive charging network, we intend to become one of the largest charging networks in the domestic markets and are therefore ready to invest significant funds in maintaining this position among the largest charging networks. We have already become the market leader in Latvia.

When we started developing our charging network in 2019, we faced multiple challenges and unknown territories, but we set ambitious goals for the time and have been successfully achieving them every year. We have attracted good specialists and together we have grown rapidly. In 2019, we started with 7 charging ports, we closed 2022 with 197 charging ports, and we plan to close this year with 500 charging ports in three countries. We do not plan to stop there and we want to reach more than 800 charging ports in the domestic market as soon as next year, including the first high-capacity charging stations that will reach a charging capacity of at least 300 kW DC.

Our teams are growing rapidly and we are actively looking for partners in all Baltic states to deploy our innovative charging solutions. If a company wants to work with us in developing charging solutions for the customers at their company property, we are always ready to discuss this option and find good and modern solutions for cooperation.