In the race for electromobility, it’s no longer about the number of charging points, but their quality and location. Orlen, with nearly 2,000 petrol stations in Poland and attractive plots of land after former city stations, is betting on the Stop Cafe concept and多功能 hubs designed to turn a mandatory stop into an experience, not a waste of time. However, every investment must be based on a solid economic calculation, so towns of up to 50,000 inhabitants remain off the horizon for now.
For years, the number of points was what mattered most in the EV charger industry – the more, the better. But Orlen has undergone a transformation in its thinking, and today other metrics have become key.
– We moved away from the race for charging points a long time ago. Although it wasn’t easy, even inside our organization, because everyone compares who has how many points – says Krzysztof Kaczyński, Executive Director for Electromobility at Orlen Group.
An internal evolution was necessary before the company could look at the market from a new perspective. Today, Orlen compares primarily installed capacity and electricity sales for transport, not raw numbers.
The key change is a re-evaluation of efficiency. Well-located chargers can generate higher turnover than their much more numerous but randomly placed counterparts.
– We could build 2,000 chargers, but even then, 100 well-located chargers will generate more turnover than those 2,000 – Kaczyński emphasises.
## Land that matters
But where do you get good locations when they are hard to come by? Orlen has an advantage in this area that competitors cannot easily copy. It has a network of traditional petrol stations – natural stopping points for drivers on the road – as well as land from stations that operated in cities in the past. These sites are already developed, have infrastructure, and most importantly, are where drivers would stop anyway.
– We know how difficult it is to acquire good land, but we have it in the form of our traditional, fuel stations, or land such as in cities where, for example, stations used to be – it’s our land, and now those sites are suitable for electromobility – says Orlen’s representative.
Examples of such places? Former stations on Smolna Street or the Wisłostrada in Warsaw are perfectly recognisable locations, convenient for drivers, and far better suited for electromobility than random lots on the outskirts of cities.
Stop Cafe as a game changer
Chargers alone, however, are not everything. Orlen is moving away from the classic petrol station model towards a place that offers more than just refuelling. The key element of this change is the Stop Cafe concept, which turns a stop on the road into a moment that can be used productively.
– We are moving away from the model where we want to be purely a petrol station. That petrol station is very necessary for us because it is our core business. But it’s also something that attracts potential customers to us for all the convenience – for coffee, meals, rest, i.e., what we need on the road – explains Kaczyński.
Orlen’s innovation goes even further. In some locations, outdoor gyms are even appearing, because the company realises that not every driver wants to eat or drink coffee during a break. What matters is what happens during the stop on the road, and in this area Orlen already has developed infrastructure and years of experience with the Stop Cafe network.
Technology for today, with an eye on tomorrow
Orlen also does not succumb to technological pressure. The industry often talks about revolutionary solutions that are supposed to change the market soon. The company approaches them with distance, considering them for now to be pure laboratory abstraction.
– The technology we are promoting now, we already think is a bit excessive for today. It will probably last for the next few years – says Krzysztof Kaczyński, Executive Director for Electromobility at Orlen Group.
Orlen assumes that the standard for travel will remain a stop of about 15 minutes. It is this time that the company intends to fill with its package of amenities, counting on customer acceptance.
– Here are all our amenities. This is a unique feature in the market. We are the only company developing electromobility that has the entire Stop Cafe package – Kaczyński emphasises.
The customer accepts a higher price per kilowatt-hour if in return they receive something more than just a pole with a socket – and this is precisely the model Orlen has been developing for years at its petrol stations.
Small towns off the horizon for now, Ukraine in perspective
Every Orlen investment is subject to a hard economic calculation – it’s a business that has to pay off, not an activity based on enthusiasm or subsidies. Therefore, towns of around 50,000 inhabitants are not of interest for now.
– When it comes to smaller towns, that stage will probably come at some point. But let’s also remember that we mainly want to develop in the public market, also taking into account the destination market. For now, that vision is an abstraction – admits Orlen’s representative.
Poland has skipped the stage of developing slow AC chargers and immediately focused on fast DC chargers, which may prove to be a strategic advantage. Looking further ahead, Orlen is considering various directions for foreign expansion, and Ukraine, after the eventual end of the war, is seen as a very good direction. Currently, the company operates in 7 markets, and the strategy in each is adapted to local conditions.
– Petrol stations in Poland are truly exceptional. This results from our market position in Poland. In Germany, they are different, and we use those possibilities to develop the German market with all its proportions. The German market is much more advanced in terms of the number of cars and chargers, and generally the mindset of people who drive electric cars – adds Kaczyński.
The electromobility development strategy at Orlen is not a project detached from the rest of the business. It is an integral part of the multi-dimensionally organised strategy of the entire group. Nearly 2,000 petrol stations in Poland are the perfect number for its implementation, and the quality of equipment, technical parameters, and location are intended to ensure not only an advantage over the competition but also the long-term profitability of the entire venture.
– We have nearly 2,000 stations, so a very large part of these stations is ideal for this strategy we are implementing. The electromobility development strategy. And it is not a detached strategy. It is part of the entire Orlen Group strategy, which is organised in many dimensions – concludes Krzysztof Kaczyński.
Fot. Orlen Chargé
