The biggest hub in Central and Eastern Europe in Kaunas, Lithuania at Akropolis shopping center

Eleport opened the largest charging hub for electric cars in Central and Eastern Europe in Kaunas, at Akropolis shopping center.

Eleport, the leading electric car charging network developer in Central and Eastern Europe, opened the largest electric car charging point in Central and Eastern Europe in Kaunas on Friday, May 3. In the first stage of the project, 20 chargers were installed in the parking lot of the Akropolis shopping center in Kaunas, which allow charging up to 40 electric vehicles at the same time. In the second phase of the project, Eleport plans to expand this hub by another 20 chargers. 

Akropolis shopping center location offers 21 European (CCS) charging standard 120kW fast chargers, which, depending on the conditions, allow the battery of an electric car to be fully charged in just half an hour. At the same time, customers own 16 semi-fast chargers (Type2) with a maximum capacity of 22kW. Eleport does not leave the owners of vehicles with the Japanese charging standard (CHAdeMO) in trouble at the charging station either, they have three 50kW fast chargers at their disposal.

“The new charging point is remarkable for its size, but considering the traffic flows, the occupancy of the Kaunas Akropolis parking lot and the dynamics of the growth of electric vehicles, it is expected that the chargers built in the first phase will be enough to satisfy the needs of customers for three years. Therefore, we are planning the second stage so that both Kaunas residents and visitors can use the largest charging point in the Baltics without having to worry about the availability of free places,” said Kazys Pupinis, head of Eleport Lithuania and the Baltic States.

Until now, there has been a lack of public chargers in and around the center of Kaunas. The charging point built by the Estonian company has significantly expanded the charging possibilities of electric car owners. To make it more convenient for customers to visit the Akropolis shopping center, four fast chargers are located opposite the shopping center next to the Church of the Holy Cross, there are also chargers between the entrances on the first floor and the rest are located on the second floor of the parking lot. 

“EV Drivers’ Club in Lithuania is not large and it has to expand. Over the past two years, the number of electric vehicles on Lithuanian roads has increased by 50 percent, but in absolute numbers, it is still a niche. I am convinced that thanks to such infrastructure projects, the club will expand and the motivation to switch to electric vehicles will only increase. This requires effort from both business and the government. Thank you to Eleport for its development and fostering dialogue among various stakeholders. I want us to see not only a 50 percent growth in another two years but also more electric vehicles registered in Lithuania than internal combustion engine vehicles.” – stated by European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.

The total capacity of the charging point in Akropolis is 1,500 kW, the majority of which, 1,200 kW, is intended for fast charging. After the second phase, which will be completed in 2027, the total capacity of the Kaunas Akropolis charging point will exceed 3 megawatts (MW). 

“Due to the rapid growth of electric vehicles, we are working to meet the demand. A convenient electric vehicle infrastructure is increasingly important for our visitors and at the same time contributes to a more economical and pollution-free and noise-free transport. Located near one of the city’s main traffic zones, Kaunas Akropolis is the ideal location for an ambitious project that will undoubtedly contribute to the green turn, not only in Kaunas but in Lithuania in general,” said Brigita Kuodytė, head of Kaunas Akropolis.

To celebrate this moment charging at Akropolis is free for the first two weeks, until May 17. 

After this project opening Eleport operates over 800 charging points in four markets – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Eleport plans to invest over 20 million euros in the development of the charging network this year alone, and in the following years the investment will exceed 100 million euros. According to the plans, by the end of 2024, Eleport will have a total of 1,350 charging points across four countries.