Destia builds 150+ electric car charging points for Helen in Helsinki
Destia responds to the growing demand for electric car charging points in Helsinki. The charging network to be built for Helen includes 48 charging stations for private cars and eight charging stations for taxis, totalling more than 150 charging points, of which about 40 are high-capacity, or fast, charging points. This means a significant extension of the City of Helsinki’s network of charging points in public areas. The charging stations will be for public use, except for those installed for taxis.
The City of Helsinki aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and having sufficient electric car charging facilities will contribute to achieving the city’s climate goals.
Helen won the City of Helsinki’s tender for the implementation of the electric car charging network last year and has now selected Destia to be responsible for the design and construction. The project is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.
“The popularity of electric cars is growing strongly in Finland and almost 50% of the electric car fleet is located in the Uusimaa region. Every day, people come to Helsinki from the surrounding municipalities to work and do business, so a comprehensive charging network in the Helsinki area will support the growth of electric car use and the reduction of traffic emissions throughout the region. In this expansion of the charging network in the inner city, we will also build long-awaited high-capacity charging points, which we will also install for taxis. The project is large and has a tight schedule, which is why reliability and experience in executing large projects were emphasised in the selection of the implementation partner,” says Kati Andersin, Head of E-mobility at Helen.
“Transport is becoming electrified at a rapid pace and more and more consumers and professional drivers are choosing to drive an electric vehicle. As a result, electric vehicle charging is becoming an increasingly important part of transport infrastructure. Building the charging network in Helsinki is one of the biggest projects of the year in the entire market, so it’s great to be able to build it for Helen and the people of Helsinki,” says Jere Jokinen, Head of EV Charging Solutions, Destia.
Destia is one of the leading providers of commercial charging infrastructure in Finland. Its customers include bus companies, logistics and taxi companies, cities and retailers.