Demand for charging stations has increased by more than 700%
20 May 2024 16:28
Due to massive power outages, the demand for charging stations increased more than eightfold last week. According to analysts at Epicentr, the largest national chain of shopping centres, the interest in buying charging stations increased significantly after the first reports of the introduction of blackout schedules in the regions, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
However, the biggest jump in sales occurred on Thursday, after the first massive blackouts across the country. Thus, on 16 May, the demand for charging stations increased 14 times compared to the previous week, and the next day, on Friday, it increased almost 15 times. The weekly growth was more than 700% (or 8 times higher).
Sales of solar panels also increased 3.5 times. Roman Ivashkevich, Head of the Consumer Electronics Department at Epicentr K, explains that solar panels are often bought to keep charging stations running during power outages.
“Ukrainians are much more actively looking for alternative sources of electricity generation. Given that the sunny season is ahead of us, solar panels are becoming more and more relevant. Often, charging stations are purchased together with solar panels as a set, or solar panels are purchased to add to the charging stations purchased during the last season. After all, a solar panel can continue to generate energy during long-term power outages,”
– says the expert.
Last week, sales of power banks also increased significantly – by 3.5 times. Moreover, people started buying power banks on Friday, increasing demand for them tenfold.
In addition, Ukrainians were actively buying flashlights, uninterruptible power supplies, batteries and voltage regulators. Demand for these products suddenly increased 5-9 times on Thursday and Friday.
During these two days, Epicentr also recorded twice as many people buying candles and inverters. However, generators were bought less actively, with growth of only 50%.
As a reminder, due to the difficult situation in Ukraine’s power grid, on Wednesday, 15 May, emergency and stabilisation blackouts were introduced across Ukraine for industrial and residential consumers.
Ukraine’s energy sector suffered heavy losses as a result of targeted Russian missile attacks – more than 8 GW, and the risk of further significant losses still remains, said Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.
Epicentr Group unites the Epicentr and Nova Liniya retail chains, the epicentrk.ua online store, the Epicentr-Agro agricultural holding, Epicenter Ceramic Corporation ceramic tile plants, the Osmoloda woodworking plant, logistics facilities and other assets. As of 20 May, the group’s retail network comprised 71 stores under the Epicentrk and Nova Liniya brands.
