The first charging station for electric vehicles in Vitebsk was installed by OJSC "Vityaz"

The first charging station for electric vehicles in the regional center was installed by OJSC "Vityaz" and the refueling service is provided free of charge to motorists. The marketing campaign of the only Belarusian manufacturer of such innovative devices will last, according to preliminary information, until the end of the year. The evidence of the dawn of a new era of the automotive industry on the Vitebsk land is located on Stroiteley Avenue – the firstborn operates in the factory parking lot next to the company store.

The serial model is released under the name "Vityaz ES-301". Few will be able to appreciate the consumer properties of the station for now. In the regional center, the number of electric vehicle owners can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and according to the manufacturer's estimate, only a few dozen electric cars are running on Belarusian roads. But "Vityaz" is not discouraged by this, as the project is initially designed for the future. The inspirer and ideologist of the innovation is considered to be the former General Director Sergey Gunko, who today heads the country's industry as Deputy Minister. By the way, a "Vityaz" electric charging station will soon appear near the Ministry of Industry building in the capital.

Perhaps this device will be used during trips to Minsk by Sergey from Vitebsk, the owner of a bright red electric Nissan Leaf. And before the appearance of "Vityaz" charging stations, he had to rely on his own engineering ingenuity, the responsiveness of service facility owners, and the solidarity of electric car owners who help solve the problem in other cities. Sergey lives in a private house, where he has learned to charge his car from a regular outlet. He reinforced the wiring and installed a two-tariff meter to charge at night. 8 hours are quite enough for this. And the trip to Minsk takes 7-8 hours, as he has to make a long stop. He arranged for recharging with the owner of a roadside cafe in the Lepel district. In the capital, he also had to solve the problem through personal contacts, but Sergey hopes that with the appearance of "Vityaz" charging stations, the problems will remain in the past.

BY THE WAY: The station is designed for use in public places: in parking lots, at the parking lots of hypermarkets and business centers, where

the car is idle for several hours, which will be enough for charging.

According to Taras Klimchenko, Head of the Development Department at OJSC "Vityaz", the interface for connecting an electric vehicle to a charging station is implemented in two versions: a three-phase connector of the European standard Type 2 and a universal option – a standard household European socket. This allows the Belarusian development to be used for servicing electric vehicles from different manufacturers equipped with different types of connectors, as well as for charging electric motorcycles, hoverboards, and electric bicycles.

The station charges electric vehicle batteries in two modes – with three-phase alternating current (380 V, 32 A, Mode 3), which takes 2-4 hours, and in single-phase mode (230 V, 16 A or Mode 1), which extends the charging time to 8-10 hours. Access for drivers to the control system is provided by a prepaid contactless card using RFID technology or via mobile communication (SMS message to a specific number or using a mobile application). The customer decides how the user will interact with the station and will receive the developers' technological solution upon request.

The lack of developed charging infrastructure is one of the main obstacles to the development of electromobility. However, today both leaders and newcomers in the global automotive industry have realized that the future belongs to electric engines. With state support, the transition to the new technology is possible in a short period, when an electric vehicle will transform from an expensive pleasure into an accessible car for everyone. And "Vityaz" is working ahead of the curve.

– According to our estimates, in the near future, the demand of the Belarusian market for electric vehicle charging stations will be up to 800 units per year, noted Alexander Matrosov, Deputy Head of the Marketing Department at OJSC "Vityaz". – Based on this, the production program is being built. If in 2017 "Vityaz" will produce two dozen units, then next year we expect to reach production

500 units, and by 2020 this volume will increase to 2 thousand stations. The market is only forming, our plant expects an active growth in demand and, accordingly, is preparing to maximally satisfy the need for such devices. At the same time, opportunities for promoting the product in foreign markets are being worked out, primarily in the Russian direction.

Sergey Antonov. Photo by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskie vesti".