According to Arnas Dūmanas, Head of the Operations and Infrastructure Department of Lithuanian Airports, the development of the network of electric charging stations is a strategic change in the operation of airports, which is already contributing and will contribute in the future not only to the improvement of the passengers' experience, but also to the introduction of environmental protection solutions and the promotion of the use of modern transport.
“We are well on our way to developing modern and environmentally friendly infrastructure. This includes not only aviation but also non-aviation activities, so we are pleased that together with our partners we have managed to successfully implement this project, and in the future, the number of such charging stations in the territories of airports and in the vicinity of airports will increase, and we are planning to carry out the development in several stages,” said A. Dūmanas.
Around 100 charging stations are planned
The investment and technical feasibility of expanding the network of charging stations for electric cars is currently being examined, but according to preliminary data, in the coming years, around 50 charging stations could be added at Vilnius Airport alone, nearly 30 at Kaunas Airport and another 15 at Palanga Airport. These charging stations would be conveniently accessible to all passengers as well as to car rental businesses and other transport.
A separate network of charging stations would be set up in the internal areas of airports where airport partners operate.
New opportunities at Kaunas Airport
Tomas Tamašauskas, Head of Eldrive Lietuva, the contractor of the charging stations at Kaunas Airport, said that the new electric charging stations at Kaunas Airport will give travellers the opportunity to offer alternative ways of getting around.
“The new electric vehicle charging stations will bring new opportunities for Kaunas Airport and the car rental businesses operating here to expand their electrified transport fleets. This will also give travellers the opportunity to choose sustainable ways of travelling. We are delighted to partner with Lithuanian Airports and are open to new projects that would expand the network of electric charging stations across Lithuania,” said T. Tamašauskas.
According to him, the company plans to invest more than EUR 40 million in Lithuania in the upcoming years. Most of this investment will be used to develop high-capacity charging infrastructure. In addition, Eldrive Lithuania has planned projects on national roads that will facilitate the use of electric vehicles throughout Lithuania.
The Eldrive brand already operates more than 600 charging stations in Europe and is one of the largest charging network operators in the region.
