Vodafone’s subsidiary, Vantage Towers Magyarország Zrt., in cooperation with Elektromotive Hungária Kft. will install about 60 electric charging stations for 38 base stations nationwide in the next year, Gergő J. Budai, President and CEO of Vantage Towers announced at a press conference on Friday in Etyek, where the charger installed at the base station was presented.
Balázs Károly Solymár, Deputy State Secretary for Digitization of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (ITM), emphasized that with this unique, climate-neutral and forward-looking solution, the company will make a significant contribution to Hungary’s electric interoperability and support for green electromobility.
Electric car chargers will be installed by a large company with a partner that has found a valuable collaboration between e-mobility, sustainable transport and its own telecommunications base station, he underlined.
“This investment reflects both climate policy and technology goals,” he said.
Unnecessary duplication at the infrastructure level can be avoided, as the same station can be used by several telecom operators, which in itself points in the direction of climate neutrality, he said.
He pointed out that the government welcomes and supports solutions that reduce the burden on the environment through innovation and digitalisation and strengthen sustainable development. They hope that other companies will also look at what useful solutions and collaboration they can create by expanding their existing services.
Gergő J. Budai said to MTI’s question: the value of the investment is roughly HuF 800 million, according to their calculations, it will pay off in 6-7 years. Electric car chargers are based on the power supply of base stations, and since the required electricity demand is covered 100 percent from renewable energy sources, they contribute twice as much to real green driving. They hope this will continue at several rates.
Vantage Towers is constantly looking for ways to use its telecommunications base stations for other purposes. Their goal is to operate multifunctional base stations that can be operated more cost-effectively and sustainably based on the base station ecosystem, he explained.
He said: 2×22 kilowatt AC chargers and 180 kilowatt DC lightning chargers will be installed. AC chargers will also be suitable for plug-in hybrids and electric cars. Lightning rods suitable for charging electric cars and buses are placed in places where it is important to get enough charge in the vehicle for a short time (roadside rest, gas stations).
It is hoped that the first project in Hungary will greatly contribute to the spread of electric cars in Hungary. Their medium-term plans include extending the program to other countries, said J. Gergő Budai.
János Mátyásfalvi, the managing director of Elektromotive Hungaria Kft. said: from the beginning, they took part in the installation of hundreds of home and public charging stations in Hungary.
The contract for the construction and operation of the complex charging system was won in a multi-round tender. One of the central elements of the system is InfoCharger, which is their own development, he said.
Péter Vári, Deputy Director General of the National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH), congratulated the project and called it a special pleasure that the base stations and chargers run on renewable energy.
Tamás Zólyomi, mayor of Etyek, said that Etyek would support the cooperation of the companies and the success of the project in every way.
Düsseldorf-based Vantage Towers has about 82,000 macro stations in 10 European countries. Founded in 2020, the company’s portfolio includes towers, antennas, indoor base stations (DAS) and small cells. By deploying, operating and leasing this passive infrastructure to Vodafone and other network operators, the company is contributing to the efficient and sustainable digitization of Europe. Vantage Towers Hungary is headquartered in Budapest and has the second largest market share in Hungary with more than 2,000 stations.
MTI
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