Finland's biggest retailing cooperative S Group is building a nationwide charging network with Kempower's chargers

LAHTI, Finland, March 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A significant step is about to be taken in advancing electrification of transport in Finland - the S Group aims to build a nationwide charging network for electric cars during the years 2021-2024. The S Group is a customer-owned Finnish retailing cooperative organization that has more than 1,800 outlets and nearly 40,000 employees in Finland.

- We are proud to be chosen as supplier for this project which is a major leap in the transition towards electrification. This is a very interesting and unique project for us and for Finland. It's not every day that a charging network of this magnitude is built, says Tomi Ristimäki, CEO of Kempower Oy.

- We will build the first ABC charging stations at our busiest locations, such as Prisma hypermarkets, hotels, and ABC traffic stations, within the next two years. From there we will move towards smaller locations. The entire network will operate under the same ABC Charging brand, says Development Director Tiina Viksten from ABC Chain Management.

The goal of ABC Charging is to be the market-leading charging service provider in terms of customer experience and reliability. ABC is an S Group nationwide service station chain with hundreds of fueling stations and service centers around Finland.

- This is achieved with the best equipment on the market, easy, fast, and convenient transactions, and a competitive price, on which S Group's Bonus is accrued, as with all purchases made from the S Group, Viksten continues.

One of the cornerstones of excellent customer experience is the simplicity of the ABC mobile app, which acts as an interface for electric vehicle charging and integrates with the Kempower charging infrastructure. The app is already used by hundreds of thousands of customers, so an extensive group of satisfied customers already exists.

Electrification of transport is moving forward with Finnish knowhow

The ABC charging network will be built together with Finnish Kempower Oy located in Lahti, Finland.

- We are glad that our partner is a domestic company, just like us. Of course, it is also essential that Kempower's equipment has the best functionality on the market. This enables our goal to offer the best customer experience, Tiina Viksten emphasizes.

At Kempower Oy, the planning and practical implementation of a nationwide charging station network together with the S Group and its various operators is seen as a great sign of trust.

- This cooperation ensures easy and smooth e-mobility, helps in reducing carbon footprint, and makes the urban environment cleaner with less particle emissions from exhaust gases. As a domestic technology company drawing on long tradition, we are doing our part in bringing electric transport within reach of every Finn, creating a new normal - cleaner e-mobility that supports green values for current and future generations, says Tomi Ristimäki, CEO of Kempower Oy.

The ABC chain estimates that the total amount of passenger cars in Finland will be about 3 million in 2030. At that time, it is estimated that there will be more than 500,000 electric cars or rechargeable hybrids in use in the country. The most visible change in the future is therefore the growth of electric transport.

Further information:

Tomi Ristimäki
CEO, Kempower Oy
tomi.ristimaki@kempower.com
tel. +358 44 289 9815

About the S Group

The S Group is a customer-owned Finnish retailing cooperative organization that has more than 1,800 outlets and nearly 40,000 employees in Finland. The S Group operates in markets for groceries, consumer durables, service stations, and hotel and restaurant services. In addition, the S Group offers its co-op members comprehensive banking services through S-Bank. For more information, see https://s-ryhma.fi/en/.

About Kempower

Kempower Oy designs and manufactures DC fast charging solutions for electric vehicles operating in the most demanding conditions. The company is a largescale charging system supplier that aims for smoothly running and practical electric mobility infrastructure. With 70 years of experience in demanding electric power supplies, Kempower sets the bar high in engineering and user-experience design. Kempower's charging solutions are designed and manufactured in Lahti, Finland and are available globally. For more information: kempower.com, LinkedIn or YouTube.

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