Together for Eco-Change: new electric car charging station in Gniezno
An electric car charging station has just opened in Gniezno as part of the „Together for Eco-Change” grant programme for local authorities run by the Santander Bank Polska Foundation and Santander Leasing. The project will see the creation of at least 17 electric vehicle charging stations across Poland built by GreenWay Polska, the country’s largest operator of charging networks for electric cars.
On 7 August 2024, the third stations was opened in Gniezno with a charging capacity of 2 x 11kW. The other two stations were opened in Przywidz and Krasnystaw.
This is not our first project implemented in collaboration with the Santander Foundation and I sincerely hope it is not the last one. Thanks to the organisation's support, we were able to purchase computers for kids from the Municipal Social Therapy Centres, or organise a handball tournament in the Mieczysław Łopatka sports hall. We also co-organised activities under the city's prevention programme for young people and their parents. So we work together in many fields and I hope our cooperation will continue to develop.
The project 'Together for Eco-Change’ is the first nationwide grant programme for local authorities launched by the leasing industry. As part of the programme, the Santander Bank Polska Foundation and Santander Leasing will finance at least 17 charging stations for electric vehicles throughout Poland and maintain them for 2 years. An amount of PLN 1 million has been earmarked for this purpose. The programme was open to all local government units with a population of less than 100,000 as at the date of announcing the competition.
We are very pleased with the great cooperation with local authorities at every stage of this project. Thanks to their involvement, we can effectively implement initiatives with a positive impact on the local community After the grant programme 'Here I Live, Here I Make Eco Changes', implemented by the Foundation from 2020, this is another environment-friendly initiative.
The aim of the project is, among other things, to promote electromobility and to make positive impact on the environment and the local community, including improvement of air quality, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, achieving climate neutrality in the EU by 2050 and reducing noise levels and energy and fuel consumption in transport.
”For years, our company has been involved in initiatives that aim to curb progressive climate change by supporting investments in renewable energy sources or green transport. At the same time, we know that drivers have concerns about using electric cars in a large part related to unavailability of charging stations. We are therefore pleased that, through our grant programme, charging stations will appear not only in front of business establishments and shopping centres, but also near government offices and in the vicinity of tourist attractions. And thanks to this, there will be at least a little less exhaust fumes and less noise in cities which are as important to our country and our history, as Gniezno.
The construction of all stations and the necessary agreements with the Office of Technical Inspection are handled by GreenWay Polska. The operator also takes care of their technical condition and makes them available to drivers as part of its public charging network.
By investing in charging infrastructure, local authorities are facilitating the use of electric vehicles, which contributes to improved air quality and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in an overall improvement of the quality of life in the city. This is why projects to support local authorities in financing such projects are so important.
The initiative is part of the grant project 'Together for Eco-Change’ implemented by the Santander Bank Polska S.A. Foundation and Santander Leasing S.A. in cooperation with GreenWay Polska Sp. z o.o.
