Electric cars are a rarity on Ukrainian roads, with their prices at least 40 percent higher than standard cars, largely due to high import duties. Another impediment is the lack of developed infrastructure. As a result, as few as 300 are active, according to some estimates.
Dnipropetrovsk producer E-line is trying to remedy that with 100 electric chargers to be installed throughout Ukraine by the end of 2015, said Vladyslav Rodin, its co-founder.
Already, 34 electric chargers have been installed by Austrian producer Keba at OKKO gas stations, while E-line chargers mark the debut of Ukrainian producers.
So far five have been installed, three in Kyiv and one each in Odesa and Lviv. None have been installed in Rodin’s native Dnipropetrovsk, where there’s still too little demand, he said.
E-line sets a $2,000 price for the chargers, which is considerably lower than that of its competitors, he said. The U.K.’s POD-Point charges $4,000, while Ensto of Finland asks about $3,000.
The price reflects lower production costs in Ukraine, though another competitive advantage is the charger’s stainless steel frame, which can be unaffordable for some European rivals.
E-line does not sell abroad, but plans to start in the second half of 2015.
In the meantime, the company is trying to get popular in Ukraine as fast as possible, offering discounts for promotion’s sake.
Restaurants and shopping malls have been its first customers, who don’t have to handle installment and equipment issues.
“Since we installed the first E-line charger in Lviv near the Tesla Motors Club in December, customers started looking for us, not vice versa,” Rodin said, referring to its advertising advantage. “The price of one charger is worth one month of advertising budget for a business, but the effect proves to be much bigger.”
That’s because electric car drivers are the first to find out about the new chargers and word spreads quickly. As soon as they are installed, they are put on a world map of electric chargers on the Internet immediately.
“Everyone who has an electric car watches closely for new chargers on the map. So when they plan a long trip or just a night out, they will most probably go to a place where they won’t only eat, but also charge their car,” Rodin said.
E-line chargers are installed in Kyiv’s Art Mall and outside of two restaurants, Praha on Holosiyivskiy Avenue and Revolution Grill in the Podil district. Motorists enter the establishment, request a plastic card, insert and remove it from the reader and plug in their vehicle, all free of charge. The cards are returned when charging is complete.
Each E-line charger has four sockets that can charge four vehicles simultaneously, including bikes. Two bigger sockets work faster, reaching 22 kilowatts.
All electric car models in the world can be charged with E-line, Rodin said. It takes around four hours for a Tesla car that consumes 85 kilowatts per hour. Renault’s electric car that needs 22 kilowatts for a full battery can be charged within an hour.
Besides fewer carbon dioxide emissions, electric cars are cheaper to use. A 10-kilometer ride costs about one hryvnia, compared to 18 hryvnias for a gasoline-fueled trip, according to Kostyantyn Yevtushenko, the head of Shooter.ua, a tech startup that promotes electric cars in Ukraine.
Kyiv Post staff writer Bozhena Sheremeta can be reached at [email protected]. The Kyiv Post’s IT coverage is sponsored by AVentures Capital, Ciklum, FISON and SoftServe.
