“We wanted a reliable, easy to use, safe, and durable charging system for electric cars in our parking facilities. We chose the Ensto Chago system,” says Marek Darkowski, Sales Manager at Q-Park Finland. The Ensto Chago charging poles were installed in the Finlandia car park in Helsinki.
The use of electricity for vehicles is increasing rapidly. Parking facilities are already preparing for the future by installing EV charging stations to serve customers who are switching to electrically-fueled vehicles. The time the car spends in a parking facility is perfect for charging.
According to a proposed EU directive, a charging network for electric vehicles is to be built in Europe by 2020, and by that time, in
Finland alone there will be a total of 70,000 charging points, of which 7,000 will be public.
Finland will have a total of 70,000 charging points for electric vehicles by 2020
– “Building EV charging points is part of Q-Park's practical corporate social responsibility program. With the installation of charging points, we want to promote the increase of environmentally friendly electric cars,” says Darkowski.
– “Our goal is to have a total of 700 charging points for electric cars in Q-Park's parking facilities by 2015. We are committed to our goals and we are bringing charging points to our parking facilities. Two charging points were installed in our Finlandia car park.”
– “The demand for charging points continues to increase at a steady pace, as many businesses want their company cars to be environmentally friendly electric cars. By looking at our statistics, we can see that the use of the charging points is on a constant increase.”
A system that is easy to use, operates reliably, and is suited for all cars
The parking facility at Finlandia Hall is Q-Park's first parking facility in Finland where an Ensto Chago charging system for electric cars has been installed. Darkowski is pleased with the choice.
– “Q-Park wanted to have an easy-to-use and reliable system. Ensto's charging system is suitable for all electric car models. The Chago system also gets extra points for its stylish looks. Parking at Q-Park should be a functional and pleasant experience,” says Darkowski.
Q-Park's Finlandia Hall car park has an Ensto Chago Station for EV charging. It can be used for both normal, single-phase 16 A and fast, three-phase 32 A charging. Connection options include two 16 A one-phase sockets or one 3 x 32 A Type 2 or Type 3 sockets.
Charging is initiated with an SMS or an RFID card
– “Charging is easy: just follow the instructions provided. Charging can be initiated either by using an RFID card or an SMS. The charging pole's colors indicate the stage of the functions: Blue indicates that charging is in progress, green indicates that charging is completed, and red indicates a malfunction,” says Hannu Kukkonen, Area Sales Manager at Ensto.
– “Charging with the Ensto Chago Pole is also safe, because when the cover is open, the sockets are not live.”
The charging space for electric cars can be distinguished in the car park by the charging poles and the signage. Darkowski says that the parking spaces with the charging equipment are respected quite well, and other drivers rarely park in them.
A system based on customer needs
In the Q-Park car park, charging an electric vehicle is free of charge. Kukkonen explains that it is also possible to equip the Ensto Chago Point system with invoicing and monitoring based on the amount of energy used. It is also possible to control charging from a parking meter.
Ensto Chago charging poles can be adapted based on customer needs. They are designed to be able to charge a fee, for normal and fast charging, and user identification is also possible.
– “A small but nice detail is that we were able to have the Q-Park logo on the charging poles,” Darkowski remarks, contently. The system has been adapted based on customer needs, right down to the last detail.
– “The Chago charging system is flexible to suit different needs. We always plan and implement the system together with the customer to reach a solution which not only fulfills the current needs, but also provides the option for future changes and expansions when customer needs change,” Hannu Kukkonen from Ensto promises. Alongside him, Darkowski nods his approval.
