Lighting the Way for Urban E-Mobility: AgeVolt Pilot Brings EV Charging Closer to Residents

How do you charge an electric car if you live in an apartment block and do not have access to private parking?

For many people in small and medium-sized towns, this is not a niche inconvenience. It is one of the main reasons why switching to e-mobility still feels out of reach.

In Liptovský Hrádok, Slovakia, the AgeVolt agile pilot set out to tackle this challenge head-on. Instead of building an entirely new charging network from scratch, the company tested a smart prototype that integrates EV charging directly into existing street lighting poles and connection points.

The idea is simple, but powerful: use infrastructure municipalities already own and turn it into a practical part of the local charging ecosystem.

Smarter infrastructure, lower barriers

The pilot showed that expanding e-mobility does not always require major construction works or costly standalone installations. By building on what is already there, cities can take a more flexible and financially realistic path toward cleaner urban mobility.

This approach brings several clear advantages:

• Lower investment costs thanks to the use of existing public infrastructure

• Modular scalability, allowing capacity to grow step by step as demand increases

• Better financial sustainability through integration with the MyAgeVolt platform, which enables tariff setting, consumption monitoring and revenue management

• Improved accessibility for residents who want to adopt electric vehicles but lack private parking options

More than technology: cities also need guidance

One of the most important lessons from the pilot was that e-mobility deployment is not only about hardware, software or funding.

For municipalities, especially those with limited prior experience, administrative procedures and permitting processes can become a serious bottleneck. This means that successful solution providers must offer more than innovative technology. They also need to bring regulatory know-how, practical guidance and hands-on support throughout the implementation process.

A replicable model for smaller cities?

The AgeVolt pilot points to a promising model for towns and cities looking for realistic ways to support e-mobility without overextending local budgets or urban space. It shows that with the right solution, even existing street infrastructure can become part of the transition to cleaner transport.

The question now is not whether this approach works, but how far it can scale.

With strong support from Slovak partners, including the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic and ZMOS, the pilot offers valuable insights for other municipalities facing similar challenges.

As cities across Europe look for practical, scalable charging solutions, this pilot makes one thing clear:
the future of e-mobility may already be standing on the street corner.