Near Tallinn, in the city of Rapla, there are only six charging stations for electric cars, highlighting the stagnation of Estonia's electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Rapla Municipality is highly interested in expanding the number of public charging stations.

"For every EV charging connection point, an electrical connection must be established — essentially, a cable that supplies electricity — and setting up such a connection is a very costly undertaking. Additionally, there are relatively few electric cars in our region, which immediately raises concerns for private businesses about the return on investment," said Heiti Vahtra, Rapla Municipality's development manager.

The municipality has invested in electrical connections itself and is currently seeking operators for two locations to provide charging services.

"In fact, we are currently running a public procurement process to find a concession partner who would build five new EV charging hubs in Rapla Municipality," Vahtra added.

Alan Vaht, a board member of service station chain Terminal, explained that charging stations have yet to reach smaller Estonian settlements due to their extremely high construction costs. Over the past two and a half years, the amperage fee required for these stations has increased two and a half times.

"For a 400-kilowatt charging station, the amperage fee is €207,000. Add another €100,000 for the charging station itself and we're already at €307,000. Then, construction costs an additional €30,000. So, the total cost of setting up a single charging station ranges from €340,000 to €350,000. It's very expensive," Vaht explained.

Estonia ranks among the lowest in Europe in terms of the number of charging stations and electric cars. More than half of the country's charging stations are located in Harju County, where demand is highest, according to an analysis by the Competition Authority. Fourteen percent of the stations are in Tartu County, while Hiiumaa has only five.

"That's the reality. And those chargers were generally installed as part of the ELMO program, but now development has stalled," said Annabell Carina Katalsepp, a legal specialist in administrative procedures at the Competition Authority.

"Enefit has the most charging stations in multiple counties, but that also means there is no competition," she added.

As a result, the Competition Authority recommends that the state speed up grid connection processes and reduce costs. Vaht agrees.

"In Latvia and Lithuania, charging infrastructure development is encouraged. For charging infrastructure developers, there is a 50 percent discount on the amperage fee when establishing charging points," Vaht noted.

The Ministry of Climate confirmed to ERR that funding for charging station development can be requested from the European Union.

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