Finnish government boosts EV charging infrastructure

The Finnish government has decided to speed up the development of EV infrastructure in Finland with a 5 million euro subsidy. The subsidy is an important step towards sustainable transport and makes Finland a forerunner in smart charging solutions.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment decided to allocate 4.8 million euros to further expand public EV charging infrastructure in Finland between 2017 and 2019. The objective is to catalyze 15 million euros in investments to EV charging systems and triple the current amount of public charging stations.

The subsidy is targeted only to public smart charging stations and especially tries to boost the implementation of fast chargers. The subsidy rate for normal chargers is 30 %. Half of the 5 million is allocated to fast chargers, which get a higher 35 % subsidy rate.

Supporting smart charging makes Finland a forerunner

A key element in the subsidy is that it's allocated only to smart charging devices. The term smart charging is being used to describe a system where there’s a data connection between an electric vehicle and a charging device, and also a data connection between the charging device and a charging operator.

In practice smart charging is a charging device connected to a back-end service that enables monitoring, controlling and restricting the usage of the device. Smart charging enables operators to utilize EVs as a part of the energy system.

"A smart charging device is key in enabling a safe and smooth charging experience. However the most important feature is the possibility to use EVs as a part of the energy system. Finland is a forerunner in these services, and connecting smart charging to the smart grid makes the Finnish EV charging ecosystem a forerunner on a global scale", Virta CEO Jussi Palola estimates.

Any Finnish company can apply for the subsidy

Initially public charging becomes more common in commercial real estate locations and along highways. However charging business is not restricted to any industry, and any company can offer subsidised EV charging as a service on their premises.

"For example as a part of Finland's largest public EV charging network by Virta EV drivers find the charging stations of any company on our mobile application", CEO Palola concludes.