ČEZ to equip KM-Prona's network of Czech petrol stations with EV charging stations

The KM-Prona petrol station chain, which operates 50 stations in Czechia, will gradually equip them with fast EV charging stations in cooperation with the partly state-owned energy company ČEZ. The first phase plans to install 12 charging points at five sites. The companies said in a joint press release.

“If our partner is satisfied with how the stations in the current first wave are operating, we would like to install charging points at another 10 to 12 of KM-Prona’s busiest sites in a second wave over the next roughly two years, as part of expanded cooperation. Since most of these sites would have a larger number of charging points and be designed as ultra-fast charging hubs, the total number of stations would reach several dozen,” ČEZ spokesperson Martin Schreier told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

In the first phase, the chain will install charging points in Velká Úpa in the Trutnov district, Zásmuky in the Kolín district, and at sites along the D11 motorway in Hodkovice nad Mohelkou in the Liberec Region, Liberec and Mnichovo Hradiště in the Mladá Boleslav district, according to managing director Vladimír Minařík. “We consider the petrol station near Mnichovo Hradiště a model site. There, EV drivers will be able to charge at eight points. Thanks to the use of so-called split technology, one connector can deliver twice the power in a single session, up to 360 kilowatts (kW),” said Tomáš Dzurilla, head of ČEZ’s electromobility division.

During a break for refreshments, drivers can use a 180 kW charging point to replenish most of their car’s battery capacity in about ten minutes, gaining enough energy for around 150 kilometres of driving. In practice, a charge in Liberec would let them reach, for example, Chomutov or, in the other direction, Česká Třebová. Each station offers charging connectors suitable for all makes and models of EV.

As part of its Clean Energy of Tomorrow vision, ČEZ plans to reach 800 operating EV charging points by 2025 and increase their capacity several-fold. It aims to meet demand for shorter charging times by building ultra-fast charging stations and adding more charging points at so-called hubs in busy locations along major routes and in cities.

Hundreds of new EV charging stations were built in Czechia last year. The number of charging sessions and energy consumption also rose by tens of per cent, major charging station operators in the country told ČTK in January. According to official statistics, there were more than 2,400 charging stations in Czechia at the end of last year. Their number is expected to continue rising this year, with ultra-fast charging points the main trend. In addition to ČEZ, other major operators include E.ON and Pražská energetika.

Despite the latest increase, Czechia’s charging infrastructure still accounts for only a small share of the EU total. Germany and the Netherlands lead the bloc in the number of charging stations. However, experts say the domestic network is currently sufficient given the still-low number of registered EVs.