Kaufland Romania builds battery exchange stations

Supermarket chain Kaufland will install battery exchange stations for electric vehicles at ten of its shops in Romania by the end of the year. However, this is not about large EV batteries, but about small electric vehicles - with Kaufland's own delivery service in mind.

The background is a cooperation with the startup e-Mobility Rentals, whose compact EVs with exchangeable batteries are used for the ‘Kaufland Delivers’ service. The partnership has been running for some time, with the first station in Bucharest opening in September 2023. So far, however, the service has been limited to the capital, but is now expanding to other cities. The new battery exchange stations will be installed in the car parks of ten Kaufland shops in Constanța, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Brașov, and Timișoara by the end of the year.

However, the e-Mobility Rentals stations are not large, garage-like swap stations, like Nios Power Swap Stations. That is because e-Mobility Rentals uses small electric vehicles. The swap batteries are thus portable, and the stations are similar to the concept offered by companies such as Gogoro. The batteries are stored and charged in a cabinet. When required, the compartment is opened with a suitable, fully charged battery and the empty battery from the vehicle is connected for charging.

Kaufland wants to deliver orders over short and medium distances. Small vehicles with small batteries are sufficient for these distances. However, the stations in the car parks are not exclusive to Kaufland but can also be used by other customers of e-Mobility Rentals in the cities. Food delivery companies and other supermarkets with delivery services apparently use the service. The startup currently operates twelve stations, all located in Bucharest and Constanța.

“After launching the first national network of charging stations for electric cars in 2016, Kaufland Romania continues the series of partnerships for more sustainability. By hosting Battery Swap stations in our car parks, we aim to help reduce the impact on the environment,” says Valer Hancaș, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Kaufland Romania. “We are happy to be able to support e-Mobility Rentals in expanding the innovative ecosystem based on rapid battery change, including in the country, and facilitate new deliveries using green transport for our customers.”

“With Kaufland’s support, we can offer an innovative and green option for local or regional communities and businesses,” explains Alexandru Slavu, COO of e-Mobility Rentals. The startup plans to expand its offering to areas such as ridesharing, retail and vehicle fleets in the future and enter into further partnerships to this end.

romania-insider.com, automotive-today.ro, kaufland.ro