Electricity supplier Electrica and OMV Petrom have launched the first fast-charging electric-vehicle station at an OMV gas station in Romania.

Four OMV stations in Bucharest will soon have charging ports for electric cars as part of a pilot program between Electrica and OMV.

"In Romania, (we've) taken small steps in the electro-mobility field," Catalin Stancu, CEO Electrica, said. "This is why we — Electrica and OMV Petrom — are putting our joint efforts to support the development of the fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, because we care about the environment and the sustainable development of Romania. It is the beginning of a new era of what Electrica calls ‘The Green Highway’ of Romania.' "

The fast-charging sockets for electric vehicles will have a 50 kWh maximum charging capacity. The headquarters of each company will also receive the charging sockets. These specialty sockets can charge a fully electric car to 80 percent capacity in 20 minutes, compared to up to eight hours on a traditional socket.

"Trends and transformations in the energy and mobility fields are topics which we are closely following," Adrian Nicolaescu, head of retail at OMV Petrom, said. "Although the electric cars’ market is in the early development stage for now and hydrocarbons will continue to be the main energy source worldwide for the next decade, we wish to adopt new technologies to sustain our ongoing development of the range of products and services that we offer, continuing to offer top quality services and experiences to our customers."