We’ve discussed the future of green mobility and PROMELEK’s strategy with Bogdan Băgăcian, E-mobility solutions manager at PROMELEK XXI.

Since 2011 Promod has become part of the Spanish group Elektra, one of the most prestigious players on the international market of electrical installations and equipment, and in 2016 the company changed its name to the current one.

PROMELEK XXI imports and distributes exclusively in Romania brands such as Dietzel Univolt, PCE, TEM and Baks. It is also one of the leading distributors for the Legrand, Schneider and Gewiss brands.

Also present in the industrial segment with a series of internationally renowned brands such as Weidmüller, Rittal and Siemens, it offers its partners a complete portfolio of solutions and alternatives in the field of electrical installations and equipment.

Embracing the trend since the beginning

„Since the beginning, we have taken on the role of connecting the future through quality electrical solutions and valuable partnerships”, tells us Bogdan, mentioning the fact that deciding to launch the new line of business in 2018, dedicated to charging solutions for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles was seen as a long shot, with a series of partners even being skeptical about it, but, in the long run, an initiative embraced by everybody.

„It was a trend we saw happening all over the world and we were eager to start it in Romania as well, so in this market we consider ourselves pioneers in this business line”, continues Bogdan.

Having the experience of their colleagues from Elektra Group also helped, as the Spanish market’s evolution required the development of this segment 2-3 years earlier.

“We anticipated that the Romanian market would also start developing in this direction. It determined us to invest in the development of the electromobility segment and started learning about the industry and products. We contacted several manufacturers and started shaping up a relevant product range and launched the first imports”, mentions Bogdan.

At this moment, PROMELEK XXl has a relevant inventory that allows the company immediate delivery for a wide range of charging stations for different kinds of partners and end users – residential, commercial, municipal, office buildings.

“Currently, our inventory includes about 150 slow and fast charging stations with an approximate value of 200.000 EUR”, adds the company’s representative.

Bogdan mentions the fact that they are not yet producers, dealing only with import and distribution.

“We distribute the most recognized brands of slow and fast charging solutions like ABB, Schneider Electric, CIRCONTROL, EKOENERGETYKA, GEWISS, Legrand and others. Besides the fact that we keep a valuable inventory that allows us a fast delivery, we also have a highly skilled team of specialists that can provide our partners consultancy in choosing the optimal solution for their needs and a complete customer support for any kind of project in the field of e-mobility, from a small, residential one to a more complex, municipal charging solution project regarding electric public transportation”, says Bogdan, adding the fact that the business line is still in its early development stage and although it doesn’t represent a valuable percentage of our turnover, the company considers it of a strategic importance because it contributes to the sustainable development of transportation and the protection of our natural environment.

Challenges of developing a "green" business line

We were curious to find out how difficult it was in the beginning for PROMELEK XXl to reach out to potential clients and convince them to implement these charging stations for their own clients.

“Our mission was not an easy one, but we were well prepared for it, as before launching this business line we invested extensively in research and in educating ourselves about the whole industry, about electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, charging solutions, technical details, benefits and so on. During this time, we started valuable partnerships with the best manufacturers of charging solutions and together with them we established a product range capable to cater for all needs”, Bogdan tells us.

He adds the fact that they contacted several recognized specialists in the field of e-mobility and learned about international trends and statistics, and although currently the figures in Romania are much smaller than on the international market, the trends are encouraging, and their partners can see it too.

“In 2021 for example, we provided about 200 slow and fast charging stations which tripled the company's sales in this segment compared to the previous year and the trend we foresee for the next period is also of growth”, mentions the manager.

Benefits of green transportation

According to Bogdan Băgăcian, the real benefits of green transportation are reducing the pollution caused by vehicles with propulsion provided by the thermal engines, as well as boosting the production of the energy necessary for electric vehicles from non-polluting sources, such as photovoltaic systems.

“When we talk about reducing pollution, we refer both to air and noise pollution, as electric vehicles have zero emissions, and they are less noisy. As they don’t use fossil fuel, they are also reducing the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. This could alleviate concerns regarding the future price and availability of fossil fuels so reduced vehicle operating costs would be an obvious benefit resulting from reduced fuel consumption”, mentions Bogdan.

In his opinion, the upcoming years will bring significant changes in the way we travel, as electric vehicles and autonomous transportation will make their presence felt more and more, for a pollution-free world and towards a green future.

Next steps in green mobility

“The next step in green mobility is likely to be in the direction of interconnected electric vehicles and self-driving vehicles, and of course electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells. If we think globally, energy consumption is constantly increasing and it challenges us, as a society, and us, as a company, to find efficient solutions for reducing it. Certainly, new technologies, IoT, AI will be the base of energy management, lighting and regulation of temperature and air quality. And technology is what will gradually move us towards sustainable mobility”.

Mobility is, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), one of the most important environmental challenges.

Transportation is responsible for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion, and vehicles account for almost three quarters of those emissions.

“The way people travel has a huge impact on the economic sustainability and on air and medium quality. E-mobility advocates a way of traveling that does not cause any harm to the environment through polluting emissions. If we think of a city as a person, or as a living organism, the road network that allows us to be mobile may be the equivalent of a person’s nervous system, which means that this is the system or network responsible with everything that can go good or bad”, says Bogdan.

In his view, the city of the future “will probably have a fully digitized road network with integrated autonomous electric vehicles for public transportation, without drivers, but hopefully there will still be transportation components with electric propulsion or fuel cells with drivers as well”.

PROMELEK XXl, plans for 2022

Concerning PROMLEK XXl’s efforts by the end of 2022 for further developing the network of charging stations for EVs, the main goal is to bring awareness to the benefits of the electric transportation industry and to consolidate the company’s position on the market segment that assures charging solutions for it. For environmental reasons as well, the team also plans to put special emphasis on the area of related solutions for photovoltaic systems.

“We are happy to see and participate in many projects based on government and European funds that target the development of the Romanian EV charging network. In order to provide valuable assistance for City Halls to access European funds that target this project, we offer a complete package of services that include consultancy in choosing the optimal solution, supplying and installing the charging solution through accredited partners. Hopefully this will also have an impact on the steady growth of this business line, so we are counting on doubling last year’s sales figures'', concludes Bogdan Băgăcian.