Burgas – Bulgaria’s possible EV charging hub on the Black Sea

The municipality plans to lease out 60 publicly owned plots for e-car charging stations to service the tourism industry in the region

Yesterday, the city of Burgas in Bulgaria announced a new scheme to build more charging stations for electric vehicles. Local authorities plan to give out 10-year leases on 60 municipal properties to be turned into charging stations with a minimum of two outlets per station.

A boost for the tourism industry

Additionally, due to a last-minute decision in the local council, the scheme called for creating mostly fast-charging stations to accommodate through traffic in the city.

According to an official statement, Burgas will try to concentrate EV infrastructure and become a hub for both the Black Sea North-South route and the highway connecting the coastal city with the capital of Sofia.

This would help boost the summer tourism industry, which is why city officials say launching a public tender for constructing them quickly is very important. This would mean that some of the 60 spots would already have stations at the start of next year’s season.

Also, officials say that the A1 highway connecting Burgas with the capital of Sofia has a notable lack of charging stations and providing sufficient infrastructure in Burgas could help through traffic.

Additionally, there are a lot of small tourist towns on the coast both to the north and south of Burgas and offering charging stations would help visitors with the infrastructure they need.

Local officials have claimed that the electric car is here to stay and will only gain prominence in the future, so getting the necessary infrastructure earlier can only benefit the municipality.

Growing charging stations

According to the Bulgarian News Agency, Burgas currently has 40 charging stations, with 20 of them coming online this year alone. Adding 60 more would definitely make a difference.

Additionally, local authorities have said that around 60% of the stations should be fast charging, whenever it is technically feasible. Every lot, on the other hand, is around 25 square meters and will be equipped with two charging points.