Despite a year-on-year growth of around a third, the pace of construction of public charging points in Slovakia is still lagging behind the European average. By the end of the third quarter of 2023, 1,748 charging points (connectors) had been installed at 724 locations in Slovakia, representing a 33% year-on-year increase in the number of connectors and 30% in the number of locations. The biggest problem with the availability of high-capacity charging infrastructure is in the vicinity of international road corridors.
"We have seen a positive trend in the development of EV charging infrastructure, helped by the challenges of the Recovery and Resilience Plan for councils and corporates, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels or slacken the pace of construction. While in some Western countries the increase in the number of chargers is exponential, we are adding new sites only very slowly," says Patrik Križanský, Director of SEVA.
Two thirds of all charging points(1,155) belong to the AC category with a capacity of up to 22 kW. A further 434 points provide faster charging with 50 kW of direct current (DC) power. SEVA registers 127 ultra-fast DC points with a capacity of 150 kW and only 32 with a capacity of 350 kW and above.
The sites are relatively evenly distributed across Slovakia, of course only if the figures are seen from the perspective of the higher territorial units. It is still the case that while there are quite a lot of charging possibilities in regional cities, for example, public charging points are almost non-existent in the more remote areas of Slovakia. In terms of infrastructure coverage, the Bratislava region stands out slightly (21% of all locations), which is natural, as it also has the highest number of registered EVs. This is followed by the Prešov and Košice self-governing regions (14 and 13% respectively), the Nitra and Žilina regions (both 11% each) and finally the Trenčín, Banská Bystrica and Trnava self-governing regions (all 10% each).
"We perceive the problem mainly in the availability of ultra-fast charging infrastructure alongside motorways. If we want to reduce emissions from road transport, we need to build charging capacity on the main routes," points out Patrik Križanský. "It is therefore essential that we focus on building charging stations faster, especially in critical areas such as motorway corridors."
SEVA also operates the portal nabijame.sk with the largest map of public charging stations in Slovakia. It provides detailed information on each public plug and its location. The website integrates data from all charging service providers in the country, making it easier for users to find and use them. The platform supports the development of green transport powered by battery electricity.