German retailer Kaufland has inaugurated the first public network of Fast Charge stations for electric cars in Romania, in partnership with Austrian renewable energy producer Renovatio. The retailer has also bought its first fleet of electric cars, some of which it will donate to partner NGOs, the company announced.

The ten charging stations will stay open 24/7 and can be used by all those who own electric cars, for free. They will be located in the parking lots of Kaufland stores in Arad, Timisoara, Deva, Sebes, Sibiu, Ramnicu Valcea, Pitesti, Constanta, and Bucharest (the store on Barbu Vacarescu Boulevard), and on the A2 highway. In these stations, the owners of electric cars can get up to 80% battery capacity in just one hour. They serve all electric and hybrid plug-in vehicles.

The first such station was inaugurated at Kaufland Barbu Vacarescu in Bucharest, on Thursday, April 7.

Kaufland also announced that it has purchased a fleet of 18 Volkswagen e-Golf electric cars. Three of the cars will be donated to partner NGOs Hospice Casa Sperantei, Habitat for Humanity, and Let’s Do It, Romania!, and the rest will be given to the company's employees for the daily commute to work.

Last year, Romanians purchased 495 electric or hybrid cars, double the number registered in 2014. Moreover, 74 such vehicles have been registered in Romania in the first two months of 2016, which represents a year-on-year increase of 90%.

Kaufland is the biggest retailer in Romania with a turnover of EUR 1.8 billion, in 2014.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com