Hofer makes e-mobile

Hofer makes e-mobile

Around 150,000 cars in Austria already use electricity instead of petrol or diesel. Last year, over 6,000 electric cars were newly registered in Lower Austria alone. Hofer has already set up several fast charging stations together with cooperation partner EVN in Leopoldsdorf im Marchfeld, Schrems and Berndorf. 14 more are currently under construction and are expected to be operational by the end of the year. During a local inspection of the new charging stations in Pöchlarn, Hofer CEO Horst Leitner was enthusiastic about the convenience and speed of the charging points: "We attach particular importance to convenience for our customers. This means that they do not necessarily have to reverse into the charging stations in our parking spaces, but can also drive the vehicle forward into the parking space normally and put their shopping from the shopping cart into the trunk as usual." There are four charging points with a charging capacity of up to 120 kW DC and two charging points with a charging capacity of up to 60 kW DC available in Pöchlarn.

For EVN board spokesman Stefan Szyszkowitz, the cooperation with Hofer is a logical next step: “When it comes to charging infrastructure, the chicken-and-egg problem has been solved in recent years, and a comprehensive network has been created that is now being continuously densified and strengthened.” Particularly practical: You don't need your own card for the e-charging stations in the Hof parking lots. Because all partners are members of the Federal Association for Electromobility Austria (BEÖ). Within this community you can charge at all charging stations using any card from one of the partners. This card can be used not only at Hofer, but throughout the entire BEÖ charging network in Austria. Many e-car users already have a card from one of the BEÖ companies. The aim of the discounter was that they could easily use these at Hofer in the future.

Hofer and its partners are pursuing an ambitious goal: by the end of 2024, half of all suitable Hofer branches in Austria should be equipped with charging points, and by the end of 2026 at least two to six charging points should be available in all suitable branches. This means that a total of over 1,500 fast charging points with a charging capacity of up to 150 kW DC will be created at the Hof branches throughout Austria. By the end of 2026, EVN will have built over 800 e-charging points at over 200 Hofer branches in Lower Austria, Vienna, northern Burgenland, eastern Upper Austria and parts of Salzburg. Compared to AC charging stations (alternating current), DC charging stations (direct current) have the advantage that charging is much faster. With a conventional AC charging station, charging takes several hours. At one of the new fast charging stations in the Hof parking lots, in most cases the time it takes to do the weekly shopping is enough to charge the car sufficiently. On average, only 10 minutes are needed for a range of 100 km.