Swedish cleantech firm Elonroad and Estonian car-sharing company ELMO Rent have recently signed a letter of intent (LOI) to collaborate on constructing a charging track in Tallinn. This agreement aims to assist ELMO Rent’s carpool fleet in Estonia.
The collaboration originated from a state visit by Sweden to Estonia earlier this year, which involved Ericsson, Swedbank, Tele 2 and other Swedish enterprises.
The Estonia-based company stands out for its innovative approach of using remote control and remote drivers to deliver electric cars directly to customers. This breakthrough eliminates the need for customers to pick up the vehicles themselves, allowing for quick and convenient delivery to any desired address.
For operations to run smoothly, the cars require charging between customers, and Elonroad’s charging track will play a crucial role in facilitating this. A pilot charging station will be installed at ELMO Rent’s headquarters in Tallinn in early 2024.
ELMO Rent and Elonroad’s collaboration is centered around improving the charging process for ELMO Rent’s cars, focusing on reducing idle time and ensuring customer satisfaction.
In addition to improving the user experience, this partnership places great importance on environmental sustainability by promoting energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
Similar installations will be evaluated and developed for public areas as part of the project. The ultimate goal is to establish an automated charging infrastructure covering ELMO Rent’s operational network.
Emission-free Transportation in Estonia
The collaboration between Elmo and Elonroad is structured in two stages, starting with a pilot project that serves as a testing phase to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the partnership. If the pilot project proves successful, it will pave the way for a comprehensive commercial collaboration.
Elonroad plans to create and set up the pilot charging station, using its patented 22kW automated charging technology and adding an electricity collector to a Nissan Leaf vehicle through retrofitting.
CEO of Elonroad Karin Ebbinghaus said she was impressed by the technological advancements she observed in Tallinn, particularly with the remote-controlled cars. She also underlined that the project closely matched two major trends: electrification and the sharing economy.
CEO of ELMO Rent Enn Laansoo Jr. emphasized the critical role that automated charging solutions played in efficiently powering the company’s remote-controlled cars.
He said integrating Elonroad’s technology into ELMO’s operations was expected to enable emission-free transportation in urban areas, create new operational opportunities and significantly improve overall efficiency.
Last year, ELMO Rent successfully integrated road-legal remotely controlled cars, operated by drivers licensed by the Transport Administration, into their car-sharing service. These vehicles have since become familiar on the streets of Tallinn and Tartu.
ELMO Rent is actively negotiating with more than 50 potential customers interested in licensing this innovative technology. It also has preliminary work already underway to launch operations on public roads in at least two foreign cities during the upcoming summer.