According to an Enefit Volt press statement, the new chargers represent a big leap forward and align with the dominant trends among electric car users, allowing two CCS (Combined Charging System) standard electric vehicles to be charged at the same time as well as being compared to the previous CHAdeMO charging standard. (CHAdeMO is a fast-charging system for electric vehicle batteries created by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and five major Japanese automanufacturers – ed.)

"Investments in new chargers are looked at from a ten-year perspective, and the usage rates of CHAdeMO are unfortunately already falling below the CCS standard," said Kert Pääbo, Enefit Volt's business development manager. "As this trend continues and considering the existing network, we see that the need for CCS chargers is increasing."

"This does not mean that the Japanese chargers will completely disappear," he added. "We plan to maintain the CHAdeMO charging standard on a region-by-region basis for the coming years, so that charging with the CHAdeMO standard remains possible in major towns and along roads."

According to Pääbo, the  installation of the new chargers has gone according to plan. "We started replacing the first charging points at the beginning of summer and managed to complete the necessary work in less than two months," he said.

Charging points in thirteen of Estonia's counties were given a newer and more modern look. They can be found in Tallinn, Märjamaa, Vormsi, Emmaste, Karksi-Nuia, Paide, Tartu, Värska, Kohtla-Järve and many other locations across Estonia.

The chargers installed over the summer are part of a longer plan, with the replacement of Elmo chargers due to continue in the coming years. "By the end of next year, we plan to replace 79 Elmo charging points all over Estonia," Pääbo said. "37 of them, or nearly half, have now been upgraded, supplying 74 electric vehicles (at one time – ed.) with electricity."

The upgraded charging points are located primarily in the residential areas of Tallinn and Tartu, as well as in larger rural areas where the demand is now growing. In 2024 new fast chargers will also be installed in Virtsu, Valga, Orissaare, Türi, Räpina, Viitna and Kohila and other locations.

"Replacing Elmo chargers, which were installed more than ten years ago, is part of our plan to expand the public charging network," Pääbo said. "At the same time, we will be able to bring electric car chargers closer to people living in apartment buildings or outside city limits. We plan to further expand the existing charging points, supplementing today's CCS chargers and the CHAdeMO chargers in certain locations with Type 2 chargers,' he added.

As a result of the changes, Enefit Volt says, there will be approximately five times more chargers in Estonia suitable for CCS-standard vehicles than before.

The exact locations of all the Enefit Volt electric vehicle charging points in Estonia can be found on this map.   

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