Central and Eastern European countries will gain new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as a result of a €35 million loan that network operator Eleport is receiving from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Eleport will use the EIB credit to deploy more than 250 fast-charging hubs at major shopping and commercial centres in Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Each station will feature up to 12 charging plugs with power of up to 400 kilowatts (kW) per plug, enabling drivers to charge quickly while they go about their everyday activities.
Eleport, a rapidly expanding startup based in the Estonian capital Tallinn and already active in Central and Eastern Europe, plans to complete the project by 2028. It currently operates more than 400 fast charging points (DCs) in six countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, and Croatia and is building an “Electric Amber Road“ – a network inspired by the ancient trade routes known as the Amber Road that connected the Baltic and Adriatic coasts. The project will allow cross-border drivers to use a single app for fast charging along the whole network.
The project is fully aligned with EU climate goals, classified by the EIB as 100% climate action and environmental sustainability. The EIB loan agreement is backed by the InvestEU programme, which aims to trigger more than €372 billion in additional investment between 2021 and 2027.
EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer, said:
“Scaling up fast‑charging infrastructure is essential to accelerate the shift to electric mobility and reduce emissions from road transport.
“This operation demonstrates how we can provide innovative, long‑term financing to fast‑growing companies delivering high‑impact sustainable infrastructure.”
Eleport Chief Executive Officer Jakub Miler, said:
“This EIB loan is an important step in expanding reliable, high-quality charging infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe.
“Our goal is for EV drivers to be able to stop where they already need to be, plug in briefly and move on with their day.”
Image courtesy of Eleport
