Estonia has now installed the world’s first nationwide network of fast charging points for electric vehicles. The aim is to accelerate the adoption of electric cars, and to significantly reduce Estonia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The nationwide network consists of 165 fast-chargers, developed by engineering company ABB. The new network was financed by the government sale of carbon emissions permits to the Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, according to Reuters. Mitsubishi is also providing the Estonian government with more than 500 electric cars, and helping with “the financing of a subsidiary system for people to purchase electric cars”.
Now that there’s a nationwide system, electric car drivers need not have any “range anxiety” on road trips, and the new network also features a unified payment system. At the moment there are only 619 all-electric cars in Estonia, 500 of which are used by government authorities. In a population of 1.2 million, that amounts to about one electric car for every 1000 cars on the road. It’s hoped that the new charging network and financing will help to double the number of electric cars owned by citizens within a year.
Image credit: ABB
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