Vantage Towers Installs E-Car Chargers Across Hungary

Vodafone's subsidiary Vantage Towers Hungary Plc., in cooperation with Elektromotive Hungária Ltd., will install around 60 electric charging stations at 38 base stations nationwide in the first round in the next year, announced Gergő J. Budai, CEO of Vantage Towers, at a press conference in Etyek, SW of Budapest, on Friday, where the charger was presented, the state news agency MTI reports.

 Gergő J. Budai said the investment is worth about HUF 800 million and is expected to pay for itself in 6-7 years. The electric car chargers will be built to power the base stations, and as they will meet 100% of the electricity demand from renewable energy sources, they will double the contribution to real green motoring. They hope this will continue in phases.

Vantage Towers is constantly looking at how its telecom base stations can be used for other purposes. Their aim is to operate multifunctional base stations that can be more cost-effective and sustainable by building on the base station ecosystem," he added.

He said they will install 2x22 kilowatt AC chargers and 180-kilowatt DC lightning chargers. The AC chargers will also be able to serve plug-in hybrids and electric cars. The charging points for electric cars and buses will be located in places where it is important to have enough charge for a meaningful range in a short time (roadside rest stops, petrol stations).

The project, the first of its kind in Hungary, is expected to make a major contribution to the uptake of electric cars in the country. In the medium term, they plan to expand the program to other countries," Gergő J. Budai pointed out.

János Mátyásfalvi, Managing Director of Elektromotive Hungaria Ltd., explained that they have been involved in the installation of hundreds of home and public charging stations in Hungary since the beginning. They won the contract to build and operate the complex charging system through a multi-stage tender. One of the central elements of the system is InfoCharger, which is their own development, he said.