Kempower partners with KONČAR to supercharge EV infrastructure across Central and South Eastern Europe

• DC fast-charging infrastructure will be installed across Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
• The first project in the Kvarner region of Croatia is due to complete this year and will see a hub of ten charging points set up as part of a brand new service station. 
• In 2023, EV market share in the region ranged between 1-4%, significantly lower than the 2022 EU average of 13.9%. 

Zagreb – Finnish DC fast-charging solutions provider Kempower has joined forces with Croatia’s leading power engineering, rail solutions and digital platforms specialist, KONČAR, to accelerate the rollout of EV charging across Central and South Eastern Europe. 

The two companies have signed a sales and service partnership agreement which will see KONČAR procuring, distributing and installing Kempower’s DC charging equipment for customers including charge point operators, public transport operators, port authorities and municipalities.  

However, it’s thought that the collaboration will go further than this and serve as a strategic partnership to boost Central and South Eastern Europe’s DC charging markets. The partnership seeks to drive charging infrastructure forward in Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a region which has been slower to adopt EVs than much of the rest of Europe. 

While Slovenia and Croatia have networks of around 1,500 and 900 public charge points respectively as of 2023, the other five countries in the region collectively have 300 between them. By comparison, the Netherlands leads the EU with 75,000 charging stations. Similarly, the region’s EV market share of between 1-4% has also yet to catch up with the EU’s 2022 average of 13.9%, meaning a boost in available infrastructure has huge potential to make a positive impact on these statistics. 

One of the initial projects taking place as part of the partnership will be a charging station with a total power of 1200kW in the Kvarner region of Croatia. The site will be part of a new service station being built this year at the east end of the Učka Tunnel and has been supplied two 600kW Kempower Power Units, with KONČAR delivering the necessary infrastructure. 

The station will be equipped with eight Kempower Satellites, suitable for most EVs, and a further two Kempower Liquid Cooled Satellites, which facilitate faster charging for heavy commercial vehicles like trucks. As such, the hub will offer a boost in charger accessibility for private, commercial and industrial motorists; a key provision as the e-mobility industry increasingly looks towards the electrification of heavy duty vehicles. 

The modular design of Kempower’s DC fast-charging solutions allows charge point operators to start small and expand their systems by adding more charging equipment as demand grows, meaning a lower initial investment doesn’t inhibit future business development. It’s expected that this flexibility and opportunity for scalable returns on investment will be a significant factor in empowering prospective charge point operators to buy into the rollout of EV charging infrastructure. 

Igor Ban, Kempower’s Head of Business Development for Central & South Eastern Europe, said: “By joining forces with KONČAR, we expect to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to charging infrastructure across the region. KONČAR is renowned for its excellent standards, expertise and wide international reach, so it’s fantastic to work alongside the team to enable the EV transition. As the region looks to establish its EV charging offering, we’re proud to be deploying our Finnish expertise and experience to help to unlock initial growth.” 

Nina Dusper, KONČAR’s Executive Director for Urban Mobility & Infrastructure, added: “E-mobility is a fast growing industry with huge potential and we are proud to be supporting this market growth in partnership with Kempower, which we see as a global leader in DC fast charging technology. By combining Kempower’s  leading technology with KONČAR’s engineering excellence as part of our core offering, we can provide our clients with a full turnkey solution, from planning and procurement to installation and maintenance.” 

She continued: “Quality and reliability will play an important role in a successful EV infrastructure rollout and the high uptime, modularity and dynamic power sharing elements of the Kempower charging solutions put us in strong stead to make a significant impact. This technological prowess paired with KONČAR’s over 100 years of experience in electrical infrastructure makes for a winning combination and we look forward to seeing what we will achieve together.” 

As the demand for EVs continues to grow, Kempower and KONČAR’s collaboration marks a crucial step towards establishing the necessary infrastructure to support the region’s shift towards more sustainable mobility. 

Kempower media: 

Paula Savonen, VP Communications, Kempower 

paula.savonen@kempower.com 

+358 400 343 851 

About Kempower   

We design and manufacture reliable and user-friendly DC fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles. Our vision is to create the world’s most desired EV charging solutions for everyone, everywhere. Our product development and production are based in Finland and in the U.S. with the majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We focus on all areas of e-mobility, from electric cars, trucks, and buses to machines and marine. Our modular and scalable charging system and world-class software are designed by EV drivers for EV drivers, enabling the best user experience for our customers around the world.  Kempower is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange in Finland.  www.kempower.com    

KONČAR in brief 
With its solutions, experience, and expertise KONČAR spearheads the energy transition and drives the decarbonization of the Croatian and global power sector. The company is constantly developing new advanced solutions and business models that benefit the community and the environment. Over the century of excellence, KONČAR has relied on vitality, innovation and competitiveness, to develop high-tech products for global markets. Today, the company stands as a regional leader in power engineering and a top manufacturer of rail vehicles.