Partner in ecological transport: Norelco designed a substation solution for Eltel, which built an electric vehicle charging field in Joroinen

Fast-charging chain Faast tasked Eltel's eMobility team to build an ultra-fast charging station in Joroinen. Faast specialises in ultra-fast electric vehicle charging, so it was clear that a traditional substation solution would not suffice. Eltel wanted Norelco as their partner for the project, as they could deliver a customised substation to meet the stringent power requirements.

"The ultra-fast eight-bay charging station was a pilot project, as no station with specific power promises had been built in Finland before. We knew Norelco to be a reliable and dependable expert in their field. In addition to reliability, Norelco's domestic origin was a significant factor," says Niko Heikkinen from Eltel's eMobility team.

Norelco's sales manager Anssi Kautonen explains that expanding cooperation to include charging fields is a natural continuation of their partnership with Eltel. "We have been making kiosk type substations since the 1980s, so we were ready to implement a customised solution for Eltel. In addition to quality, we were able to offer the customer a quick delivery, as we control the entire supply chain from design to production."

Standardised substation solution as the basis for design

The project began with a request for quotation in the summer of 2024, and progressed to Norelco designer Olli Mutikainen's desk in early autumn. The starting point for the design was a substation capable of distributing a maximum power of at least 150 kilowatts to each charging point. Target also was a solution which could be replicated for the customer's other similar sites in the future.

Mutikainen says that as a kiosk type substation, the site was fairly typical with a few exceptions. "The protective relay included in the medium voltage switchgear had to be replaced and installed in its own enclosure. Also, the space reservation requested by the customer for the subunit remote-control was slightly larger than usual. That’s why the placement of the subunit, protective relay enclosure, auxiliary power enclosure, and IT section enclosures had to be planned more carefully to achieve a functional solution."

Interaction is a big part of customer service

The charging substation was manufactured at Norelco's Nätki PU in Savonlinna and delivered to the customer's site in January of this year. The delivery was slightly delayed due to availability issues with certain components. "Our installation team visited the site to fix the minor deficiencies found in the substation. It is important to us that the customer receives the end product according to their wishes and regulations and that the cooperation continues seamlessly even after delivery," says Kautonen.

Heikkinen praises the smoothness of the process and the regular updating of the schedule to the client. "Norelco has invested in the customer experience. The deficiencies that emerged during delivery were also corrected free of charge, without delay, and in good spirit."

Cooperation for cleaner transport continues

Kautonen says that the electric vehicle charging field piloted in Joroinen was a very significant project for Norelco, not only from a business perspective but also from an environmental responsibility standpoint. "Charging fields are becoming more common in Finland as electric vehicles become more widespread. We want to be involved in creating a more ecological environment in the field of transport as well."

The cooperation between Eltel and Norelco for cleaner transport continues. Heikkinen says that another similar transformer with minor modifications has already been ordered. "Norelco is an agile partner capable of producing adaptable and thus cost-effective solutions to meet our needs."

Contact

Anssi Kautonen, Sales Manager

050 525 5315 | anssi.kautonen@norelco.fi