Russia forces gas station to have electric car charging by late 2016

PanARMENIAN.Net - Thanks to a single decree, Russia could soon become a much more hospitable place for electric cars.

The country is currently home to just a small number of electric cars, and its charging infrastructure is relatively undeveloped.

But the national government now requires that all gas stations in the country must be equipped for electric-car charging in little more than a year, by November 2016, VentureBeat reports.

Gas-station owners will be required to cover all costs of installing and operating charging stations, the Moscow Times says, according to VentureBeat.

Estimated costs for a charging station in Russia range from 100,000 rubles ($1,480) for a Level 1 AC unit, to 3.5 million rubles ($51,720) for a DC fast-charging station, according to Maxim Osorin, head of electric-car seller and charging-network operator Revolta Motors.

The government decree did not specify what kind of charging stations owners will have to install, so it’s possible many will go for the cheapest option.

Officials hope a mandatory expansion of the charging network will increase electric-car sales.