The Russian electricity company Rosseti has installed a public EV charging station in a Moscow parking lot, the first of 150 that will be deployed in the city’s public parking lots by the end of next year. Rosseti already operates a network of about 30 charging stations on Moscow streets and highways and at shopping malls.

According to Roman Berdnikov, First Deputy General Director for Technology at Rosseti, the network will expand to 1,000 chargers in 10 Russian regions by the end of 2018. Chargers should also start appearing at gas stations, as Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has decreed that all gas stations in Russia must install them by November 2016.

Photos: Moscow’s first public charging point

Moscow EV drivers currently enjoy free parking, and charging at the public car parks will also be free at least until the end of 2016, said Berdnikov.

Plug-in vehicles are still rare birds in Russia – only about 500 have been sold, according to the Autostat market research agency. However, some are optimistic.

“We are absolutely positive that electric cars are the future,” said Tigran Khudaverdyan, head of Yandex.Taxi, whose fleet includes two Tesla Model S. He added that the government’s aggressive infrastructure program should be a great stimulus to EV adoption.

Source: The Moscow Times
Image: Vicente Villamón (CC BY-SA 2.0)