Super-fast EV charge corridor to link Oslo, Stockholm and Helsink

Drivers will be able to take their electric vehicles (EVs) from Helsinki, across the Gulf of Bothnia on a ferry, and then carry on their journey through Stockholm to Oslo – thanks to a new super high-voltage fast charging network for electric cars that is planned to be installed on the route by 2018.

The first ‘high-power charging (HPC) corridor’ between the cities will see HPC stations installed with charging rates of 150–350 kW – significantly higher than the 50 kW quick chargers available on the market today. 

By 2018, EV drivers will be able to make the journey from Helsinki to Oslo in the same time as conventional car drivers, according to the charging network provider Fortum Charge & Drive. The planed charging stations will be able to provide150–350 kW of power and will have connectors to serve all main car models. The first four HPC stations will be built this year, and the HPC corridor is the first step in a wider plan to build a complete Nordic fast charging network.

Norway has more than 100,000 EVs on the road according to the country’s electric vehicle association – the biggest number per capita in the world.

A separate project in Norway will see a partnership between E.ON and CLEVER bring similar charge points to 20 YX service stations across Norway. The ‘ultra-fast’ chargers will be placed at service stations between strategic city routes in Norway between 2018 and 2020. 

The chargers will initially power vehicles at 150 kW with a modular upgrade option available to boost the availability to 350 kW.