PlugIt design and installation of EV charging station at "The Crazy Reindeer" hotel in Levi, Finnish Lapland

The Hullu Poro hotel, renowned as a trailblazer, is involved in the advancement of EV motoring by building Finland's northernmost charging station. PlugIt has had involvement in the design and installation of the project.

Electric transport is unquestionably the future means of transport, which can also be noticed in the tourist centres of the North. The number of electric motorists wanting to drive to their holiday destination is growing, which means that the resorts are having to meet the changing needs of their visitors. This in turn requires paying attention to the EV charging infrastructure and the increasing need for charging facilities.

Both Hullu Poro and PluIt Finland want to promote and advance electric transport in Finland so to enable motorists to travel also to Northern Finland in their chargeable vehicle.

"The original idea of building a charging station for EVs came from our staff's need to charge their vehicles", says Päivikki Palosaari, owner of Hullu Poro hotel. "We wanted to spread the word about electric motoring and offer other electric motorists the opportunity to visit Levi by their own car, as we had noticed that there was a lack of charging points in Lapland". Since Hullu Poro is a forward-thinking, energy-saving company, the building of a charging station couldn't be more appropriate, and also upholds the energy-saving programme within the company.

Planned and installed by PlugIt Finland, the charging station at Levi serves international electric motorists - Levi is popular also among tourists coming from northern Sweden and Norway, too. Norway is a pioneer in electric motoring, having over 30 000 electric vehicles on its roads to date.

Travellers can fully charge their EV quickly and easily at the Levi charging station. The battery of a hybrid vehicle will take about 2.5 hours to charge (depending on the size of the car battery) and that of a fully electric vehicle about 4-8 hours (depending on the size of battery and vehicle's maximum charging current).

The parking spaces at the charging station are solely for EV use.

Says Ari Kurri, PlugIt's Technical Manager: "The charging points at the station include some advanced features, which make charging of added interest". Kurri explains that e.g. a special measuring system is installed in the devices to monitor their performance and statistics. The statistics help demonstrate, for example the CO2 emissions generated by the vehicles and their energy efficiency. The data can be followed in real time on the screen in the hotel lobby, which shows the data by charging event. The charging points are also under continiuous remote control, and can also be tested remotely. For the time being there is no fee for charging your vehicle at hotel Hullu Poro, just ask at reception for the required card.