The Czech capital continues to focus on the expansion of electric mobility and plans to install additional charging stations for electric vehicles on public street lighting systems. As part of the project, around 140 EVR lamps will be installed this year to further strengthen the city’s charging infrastructure and create a sustainable solution for the future.
Prague is adding more urban charging stations for electric vehicles to public street lighting systems as part of its e-mobility project. The city has approved a budget of approximately 139 million CZK for this year. In cooperation with the companies Technologie hl. m. Prahy, a.s., and PREdistribuce, a.s., around 140 so-called EVR lamps (Electric Vehicle-Ready) will be installed this year, driving the continued expansion of the charging infrastructure on the streets of the capital.
“The modernisation of public lighting offers an excellent opportunity to combine safety, savings, and future preparedness. This year, we are investing over 139 million CZK in 300 poles, lights, and 140 EVR lamps, which will enable the easy expansion of the charging infrastructure,” says Michal Hroza, the responsible councillor for infrastructure in Prague.
According to the development plan for charging infrastructure, which was approved by the Prague City Council on 22 February 2021, 180,000 electric vehicles are expected to be on the streets of the capital by 2030. To accommodate this, around 4,500 charging stations will be required.
One possibility is to use the public lighting system by integrating the power supply directly from the distribution network into the public lighting poles during the renewal of the cable distribution network.
This creates a synergy where the preparation of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles takes place as part of the renewal of public lighting and distribution networks. The result is significant cost savings. As part of the project, EVR lamps will be created, which can later be equipped with electric vehicle charging stations without additional significant financial, technological, or time-related obstacles.
Last year, around 200 million CZK was already invested, with 143 EVR lamps, 447 poles, and 1,016 lights installed.
