Ejoin is Slovakia‘s second-largest Charging Point Operator (CPO), with nearly 400 points installed in at least 131 locations in the country and also dozens in the Czech Republic.
In Slovakia, it also manufactures charging stations and a unique platform for monetization and management of chargers.
Currently, the company is seeking partners to represent them in other European nations who will not only sell the chargers but also provide the service.
“We aim to expand our network into Hungary, Poland, Romania, Austria, and perhaps Croatia“, reveals Martin Salamon, sales manager of Ejoin, in an interview with Mobility Portal Europe.
“We are also looking for partners throughout Europe to sell our charging stations,” he adds.
Regarding projects, Salamon mentions that the company is developing a 1.2-megawatt charger for heavy-duty vehicles, and it is expected to be available by the end of this year.
Manufacturing such products is significant for the market, not only because it encourages truck electrification but also because few companies are innovating in megawatt charging.
In its portfolio, Ejoin offers residential and business alternating current (AC) chargers, but the “hot product” is its portable charging station with interchangeable connectors that has OCPP and GPS, which is hailed in each fleet.
In terms of direct current (DC) fast charging stations, they provide three types of chargers: small and compact with a power range of 30 to 40 kilowatts, as well as a fast station with two CCS2 connectors with a power range of 60 to 240 kilowatts, soon up to 320 kilowatts.
Furthermore, the company is working on a Tesla-like solution, featuring a power central unit and dispensers, of which they have two versions.
The first has a power of up to 480 kilowatts with an air cooling power unit.
The second, labeled as a “unique solution,” consists of a fully liquid-cooled unit, with a power of up to 720 kilowatts where up to 12 dispensers can be connected.
This solution can be linked to batteries that can cover charging peaks or missing network capacity.
Moreover, the executive states: “Shortly, we’ll open Bratislava’s most powerful charging hub, where we’ll have six parking spaces for this liquid-cooled power unit, allowing us to deliver power to a single connector of up to 600 kilowatts.”
Furthermore, on the software front, they’ve implemented their own technology for station management and monetization, which complies with all regulations imposed.
“Our system is compliant with the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), and is the only one in the European Union (EU) to have a banking license.”
He additionally continues: “We also offer the system to our partners, which is free of fixed fees and is fully automated – immediate payments, automatic invoices, easy and quick addition of new stations and payment terminals.”
What are the challenges Ejoin faces in Slovakia?
Salamon expresses that the major challenge is that Slovakia is at the bottom of the statistics for new electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the market.
He goes on: “There aren’t as many EVs in the country that can be charged on our network. The return on investment, thanks to which we built our grid, is therefore extended.”
According to information from the Slovak Association for Electromobility, as of the last day of 2023, a total of 10,273 electric passenger and light commercial vehicles were registered.
In this regard, Salamon comments: “We’re educating people to purchase new zero-emission vehicles, explaining their benefits.”
The company representative indicates that cheaper electric cars will be available in the market this year, so the mindset change of potential users is crucial.
“I hope our government will also help us in some way, and it would even be beneficial if they provided subsidies to customers to help them purchase more EVs,” Salomon expresses.
It’s worth noting that concerning subsidies for charging points, the Slovak authorities are actively investing in expanding the country’s public infrastructure.
However, Ejoin’s sales manager explains that other difficulties they face are related to bureaucratic issues.
“The permissions and regulatory issues in some locations are problematic,” he states.
Finally, Salamon concludes: “In certain municipalities, we started the process four years ago and are just now beginning to build there in 2024.”
