Development of Electric Charging - USER-CHI

USER-CHI:

Development of Electric Charging

City of Turku is involved in the international USER-CHI project funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 program, the purpose of which is to promote e-mobility in many different ways. The project gives cities and private operators tools and practical examples of smart charging services and their implementation. On a European scale, the project gives the opportunity to develop the local charging infrastructure to be compatible with the rest of the EU region. The ultimate purpose of the project is to create a basis for functional and customer-friendly electric mobility in an urban environment.

One of City of Turku's most important tasks in the project is to create a master plan for electric charging covering the entire city. Its purpose is, among other things, to support the cooperation of public and private actors in the construction of the charging infrastructure and to speed up the development of the city's charging network to meet the growing need. With the plan, we also want to communicate that electric car driving will be even easier in the future with the development work.

The electric charging master plan is drawn up in cooperation with e-charging service providers, employers, professional users, housing associations, allied companies, residents and other key stakeholders. The master plan, which will be completed in autumn 2023, defines e.g. potential locations for charging stations and the conditions under which charging operators can offer their services there. In addition, the master plan defines the means by which charging points on the cities' own properties can be used as efficiently as possible. In matters related to the master plan, you can contact project coordinator Juha Pulmuranta (sahkolataus@turku.fi).

Take part in testing 

In concrete terms, electric charging has been developed in Turku by installing electric charging points for cars at 3. linja in Turku Harbour, at the Turku Energia office at Teollisuuskatu 40 and at the VASO housing estate at Pääskysillankatu 5. In addition, the project is piloting an INSOC charging station for electric bicycles and scooters at the Kupittaa bike shed at Joukahaisenkatu 6 and at the TVT housing estate at Kunnallissairaalantie 36. 

To use these charging points, you will need the INCAR app on your mobile phone. The app can be found in the App Store and Google Play.

How to charge your electric bike or e-scooter with INSOC: 

  1. Register to INCAR app and add your payment details although charging your e-bike or e-scooter is free of charge. 
  2. Decide which free charging point you want to use for charging. The available charging point is indicated by a green light.  
  3. Open the INCAR app, log in, find the desired charging point in the app and start charging from the app. 
  4. When the green light starts flashing, connect your electric vehicle to the charging point with a cable or bring your vehicle close to the charging platform if you are charging with inductive charging. When using the charging cable, make sure that the blue cover of the charging point closes properly and locks.  

How to end the charging of your e-bike or e-scooter:  

  1. Open the INCAR app and select End Charging.  
  2. Open the blue cover of the charging point, disconnect the cable, and close the cover. If you have charged with inductive charging, move your vehicle away from the charging platform.  

How to start charging your electric vehicle with INCAR: 

  1. Register to INCAR app and add your payment details. 
  2. Drive your car to the charger of your choosing and start the charge on INCAR app. 
  3. Connect the car to the charger with the charging cable and wait a moment. When the charging point light flashes green, the car is charging. 

How to end charging your car with INCAR: 

  1. Open the INCAR app and end the charge. 
  2. Unplug the charging cable from the car and the charger. 
  3. If the charging cable doesn’t detach from the charger, force stop the charge from the car and remove the charging cable.

At the end of a successful charge, a feedback questionnaire will appear. By the end of April, those who respond to the survey will be entered into a draw to win a set of movie tickets.  

In case of any problems, please contact Jussi Saari by email jussi.2.saari@turku.fi or by phone +358404809903. 

E-bikes and e-scooters

Turku is developing charging facilities for electric bikes and electric scooters in the USER-CHI project. The aim is to develop the charging network and make mobility easier and less stressful for people using electric vehicles.  

The project has set up charging points for small electric vehicles in the Turku area. The charging points are located in Mäntymäki and in the Kupittaa bike garage. The charging point in Mäntymäki is for residents of the TVT housing estate and the charging point in Kupittaa is for general use. The charging points will be in test use in 2024.  

The bike garage near Kupittaa station will have ample space for regular bikes as well as cargo bikes. The garage will also offer charging facilities for electric bicycles and scooters and a bike maintenance point.  The energy used to charge the bikes is generated by solar panels on the roof of the garage. The garage is therefore energy-positive.

 

More with cooperation

The project's partners in Turku are Turku Energia, VASO and TVT, all of which will implement their own pilot projects during the project. 

Turku Energia participates in the project by building an innovative and super-fast two-way charging station for electric cars in, for example, Kupittaa.

VASO is building a new property on Pääskyvuorentie, where a modern electrification project will be built that combines solar energy, battery storage and electric charging points. A 13.3kW solar panel system and a battery will be installed in the buildings, which will be able to cover the electricity demand even at night. The system also enables the use of car batteries to store electricity in the future.

  • Read more about Vaso

TVT Asunnot participates in the project by implementing a charging system for light vehicles in Mäntymäki. The charging system will produce its own electricity with solar energy and offers a cost-effective charging option for light electric vehicles. The Mäntymäki point is intended for the residents of the residential area. 

 

Additional information on the project and the products

A report on the current situation and the future of electric car charging points in City of Turku (pdf)

Report on the current status of and future prospects for charging stations of electric cars in the region of Turku. (pdf)