Bonava starts a comprehensive service co-operation with Parking Energy Ltd (Parkkisähkö Oy) as the first large scale home builder in Finland. With this new framework service agreement Bonava will bring EV ready infrastructure to all parking bays at its new consumer retail properties. In practice, this means that every parking bay will be installed with suitable electricity supply, cabling, and a Parking Energy Quick Connector – ready to receive an EV charging point later as and when they are needed. The first site to offer this service is Bonava’s new project “Asunto Oy Espoon Steniuksenkumpu 1” in Espoo, Finland.
The electric vehicle (EV) fleet in Finland is growing at an ever-faster speed. This growth is fuelled by people’s personal motives, as well as the European Union and Finnish Government’s new climate targets and requirements. The increasing number of EVs is also putting pressure on residential properties’ and housing associations’ electrical infrastructure. One of the key challenges is inadequate EV charging facilities at communal parking areas at apartment blocks. (Note: most parking bays in Finland are equipped with an electrical outlet for engine heaters, usually rated at 8 amps single phase – or 2kW peak).
“What makes this co-operation so important in the scope and extent of it. Until now only a few blocks of flats have been upgraded for EV charging. This new framework service contract stems directly from the tenant’s needs. We will install the electrical infrastructure needed to all our new parking areas – in practice that means installing the required cabling and Parking Energy’s quick connectors to every parking bay. The tenant or homeowner can then choose an EV charging service that suits their needs directly from Parking Energy. This way the costs incurred (charge point, installation and energy) are directly paid by that individual user”, says Bonava’s planning and service development director Kaisu Nousiainen.
Bonava is with this new agreement with Parking Energy offering all Bonava-home residents, who have a dedicated parking bay, a solution for EV charging regardless of whether they need an EV charge point now or in the future. Thanks to the Quick Connector cabling solution EV charge points can be easily added or changed without the need for electrical installation work or affecting other EV drivers. The actual charge points are delivered to the tenants as a service, much like your broadband or mobile phone contracts. The tenants can also order just a traditional engine heater option.
According to Jiri Räsänen, Parking Energy CEO, this initiative is also an encouraging step in the fight against climate change. ”This co-operation is the first of its kind in the world at this scale – we are really proud about it! All major automotive manufacturers are introducing plenty of new electric vehicles in the next couple of years, and already in the near future they are cheaper to own than petrol and diesel cars. That said, the transition to emission free transport will not happen if EV charging infrastructure remains a bottleneck”, Räsänen concludes.
Realia Isännöinti Ltd (a Finnish property management company) commissioned a research project called “A Thousand Finns” with IRO Research to map Finnish drivers’ interest in buying a full electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid, and also their views on how EV charging should be arranged at condominiums and multi-tenant properties. According to the research one in three Finns have considered buying an electric vehicle within the next five years, with 70% of those living in multi-tenant properties say that all large residential properties should have a facility to charge electric vehicles.
Read more about the co-operation between Bonava and Parking energy here (Link to Finnish website). Read more about Parking Energy and their services here.
More information
Bonava Finland Ltd (Bonava Suomi Oy)
Johanna Normiala, service portfolio manager, phone +358 (0)40 505 2444,
Joanna Linnermo-Kumpuoja, communications manager, phone +358 (0)40 555 5868 and viestinta@bonava.fi
Parking Energy Ltd (Parkkisähkö Oy),
Jiri Räsänen, CEO, phone +358 (0)45 601 3553, jiri.rasanen@parkingenergy.com
Source Bonava press release 31.10.2019
