The development of electromobility in Prague continues, councilors approved the development of charging stations
At Monday’s meeting, Prague councilors determined the direction of the development of electromobility in the Czech capital. They determined the way charging stations for electric cars will be built. They entrusted the municipal company Operátor ICT (OICT) with supplementing the documents for the concession variant and ensuring the preparation of tender documentation, on the basis of which the concessionaire will be selected. The latter subsequently in the territory of the capital m of Prague will ensure the construction of a charger and related infrastructure for residents. The goal is to put 750 chargers into operation by 2025 and to have 4,500 stations by 2030.
Prague was examining several options for building chargers in the city. It will go the way of the so-called concession, as it is the least risky for the city.
Council of the head m of Prague on Monday discussed the document “Implementation of charging infrastructure in the territory of the capital m of Prague”, which was prepared by the OICT to assess two legal models of cooperation with the private sector – concessions and joint ventures (a joint venture with a non-financial share of the city). On the basis of these conclusions, it agreed to the realization of the concession variants and also requested the necessary documents. The variant comparison was based on an assessment of the information obtained by the OICT during the preliminary market consultations.
“Today, we approved the preparation of a comparison of the end variants, which even from the ICT Operator came out as more advantageous. It means that the supply, installation and operation of the charging stations will be provided by the concessionaire and they can be transferred to the capital after the end. Our goal is to operate 750 charging stations by 2025 and 4,500 by 2030. The support for electromobility in our proposed scenario respects the goals set in the Prague Climate Plan and the Sustainable Mobility Strategy. We are also based on the experience of many European cities, such as Vienna, Hamburg or Amsterdam,” says Zdeněk Hřib, mayor of m of Prague.
According to the council’s charging prices, it will have to respond to energy price fluctuations on the market and should not exceed the value of 6 crowns per kWh.
“Since the beginning of 2019, an expert group consisting of representatives of municipal companies, municipality unions, representatives of city districts and external experts has been meeting under my leadership on the topic of the development of charging stations. On the basis of her recommendations, the city company Operátor ICT prepared a set of documents including an economic balance sheet, and with today’s decision we have moved one step closer to our own realization of charging stations. Prague is thus preparing for a ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2035. European and global car companies are gradually moving away from the production of cars with internal combustion engines and investing significantly in the development of electromobility.” says Jaromír Beránek, chairman of the IT and Smart City Committee.
“The development of electromobility is suitable for which Prague must be prepared in order to implement charging infrastructure in the territory, in accordance with the General Plan for the Development of Charging Infrastructure in the Capital City of Prague until 2030, which we prepared for Prague in the first year. We will continue the work we have started and in the following period we will devote ourselves to the preparation of both the operational model and the service IT solution.” says Petr Suška, director of the Smart City, innovation and project management department, who coordinates the individual steps leading to the implementation of the charging infrastructure with all involved partners on behalf of the OICT.
“The ambition of Mr. m of Prague is to ensure public recharging quickly, efficiently, user-friendly and at a reasonable price for the electricity consumed. Therefore, existing resources will be used as part of the implementation, which are the capacities of public parking spaces in the metropolis and, in the near future, EV-ready lamps for public lighting.” adds Matej Šandor, vice-chairman of the board of OICT. A condition for the future successful provision of operation and provision of services will be the coordination of the development of charging, especially with the relevant departments of the City Hall. m of Prague, by the Technical Administration of Communications and Technology of the capital. m of Prague.