Network of charging stations for e-vehicles
About this good practice
The pandemic caused an increase of individual cars use and therefore the Municipality decided to stimulate the e-cars by construction of a network of charging stations as part of the Project "Zone for paid street parking and installation of charging stations for e- cars". The project includes installation of 31 free-of-charge charging stations and a system for monitoring and management of the network. 22 stations have been installed within the blue zone of the city in 2020. Another 9 stations were located in 2021 in the southern industrial zone and are used to charge e-cars owned by the company "Municipal Parking and Blue Zone". The number of users of the network is serious. Information on their exact location is provided by a mobile application named "Varna Charging Stations". Through it you can see a map of charging points, history of charges, saved locations and real-time reference for free stations. Charging stations have high security protection and can be relied on for trouble-free charging even in rain or snow. The project was implemented by Varna Municipal transport company.
Resources needed
The necessary funding is provided by the project "Tranche №2: Area for paid street parking and installation of charging stations for electric cars", funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - € 2 100 000
Evidence of success
The number of electric cars in Varna increased dramatically (for one year from 300 to 730) with a total number of 3888 in Bulgaria.
Potential for learning or transfer
Bulgaria is by no means an example of the use of e-vehicles, but the municipality of Varna is an example for the Bulgarian municipalities in the construction of charging stations. In addition to electric cars, e-bikes and scooters, which are widely used by young people in Varna, can also be charged free of charge.
