Eldrive’s Post

Transcript

Hello! ��n our way from Bucharest to Halkidiki we have a stop in Bulgaria, at Hyatt Regency Pravets Resort, where we meet the CEO of Eldrive charging network to see which are their plans for Rom��nia and Bulgaria... and what kind of informations we can find out from him. So, basically, our trip from Bucharest to Greece includes also a bit of business, let's say, documentary work. We all agreed that this day is going to be used for collecting informations: trip data, what happened with the car, but also what happens with the EV charging infrastructure. So... let's hear what Stefan has to say! Stefan, thank you for the opportunity to meet here in Pravets! I'm very curious about Eldrive's efforts and overview. So... first of all... can you give me some data about the number of charging points that you have in Bulgaria and Romania? Because now you have quite a lot of them, right? Yes, yes! We keep on growing. To be honest with you... I keep losing track, because every month it's a different number... But so far in Bulgaria we have more Than 800 charging points and Romania is approaching 500... So, in total, well above 1,000 charging points already. I've seen that some of the new chargers that you are installing are the MOON chargers and I know that you have a business relationship with MOON Power from Romania, that is part of Porsche Romania. Can you tell me more about this business scenario? Yes. We are actually very happy about this partnership. We started, I would say... less than a year ago and we have already installed more than 100 charging points from MOON. We plan to install... I would say... maybe close to 300 (new charging points) until the end of the year. So It's a very strategic partner for us, going forward. So... You install chargers from MOON in Romania but also in Bulgaria, right? Not only Bulgaria and Romania, Lithuania as well. So... in every country we operate, we partner with MOON. In the three countries, right? Yes, that's correct! Do you have some statistics about... I don't know... Romanians like us, that are traveling? I mean... using a Romanian Eldrive account to travel in Bulgaria to Greece or to stay in Bulgaria? Do you have that kind of data? Well... we actually monitor data not only daily. We monitor hourly. So... yes of course we have that data and what I can tell you is that it changes... and it changes drastically. Every single month! And I would say that it used to be... maybe in the single digits... of Romanian users - let's call them that way - Eldrive users coming to Bulgaria, charging in our network, on bulgarian soil, and as of today... it is actually hundreds, per month. In some few months could be thousands. Who knows? Because I've studied the corridors, where have charging locations, and this one is a very good one because you have a very nice hotel and very good facilities and you have a powerful charger. So you have everything you need, as an EV driver, in one place, right? Yes! I mean... that's... Listen: it's part of our philosophy. We always look at it from the perspective of the client. The user. We don't want to force you to go where the charger is. We want to be where you go! This is the most important thing! And if you can take the time to get that extra service of charging Why not? So... We don't force you go anywhere. We just go with you. I always liked the the idea of not losing time when I'm traveling. You know... So if I can charge the car, as you do now, while having a business meeting or while having lunch or dinner... That's perfect because that is time well spent. Exactly. For charging and for other activities. One more thing: I noticed that Eldrive is very active in Romania, especially, but also Bulgaria, as you said, and... Lituania... Tell me... What's "the next big thing" that is coming from Eldrive? So... if you look on your agenda... Which are the next points that we need to to know and to consider? Well... You have probably seen the figures that we keep communicating... but in any case... we are trying to build big charging HUBs. Some call them "super HUBs", others just call them car parks... It all depends... But... in any case... We try to build these in rich ecosystems. This is very important to us! I mean... Getting back to the point that "we need to be where you go"... this is actually quite important. So... just chargers, by themselves, in a field... doesn't mean much. Not down the road. Down the road, what means a lot, is that we don't waste any of your time! Not even 10 minutes! So we need to be in rich ecosystems that visit in your everyday life. You need to have the option charge at a slow charger, fast charger, super fast charger. It doesn't matter. Depending on your needs... And your car... maybe... Exactly! So we need to be where you are. We need to service the different types of cars, different types of needs. And depending on the time you want to spend at that location... you decide and pick which charger would be best for you like you. Like you did here. You chose the slow charger... semi-fast charger... because you spend lots of hours here today, right? Exactly. It's a hotel... typically people stay here overnight... So they don't need the fast charger. But then you have the highway here, so many people transiting will be very happy to come here, plug-in the car, maybe have a quick lunch or coffee... And then be on their way. But it's important not only to be in those rich ecosystems... it's very important to offer a lot of charging points to choose from. And in this way you actually tackle the availability anxiety that now is a big topic, right? Yeah! Stefan, thank you so much for this meeting and for your answers! And thank you for the efforts that you are doing in Romania and Bulgaria and all over the places that you are going. Seaside... mountains... you are really everywhere. Thank you so much for that! Thanks, Adrian!