2 feet under

To meet the increased demand for cost-effective and flexible solutions for charging posts, DEFA is embarking upon a partnership with Swedish innovation company Unimi Solutions with regard to ground foundations. The Unimi universal foundation, where an adapter is used to fix the charging post to the ground, simplifies installation work in the field and quality assurance of the installation is performed as early as the excavation stage. Unimi foundations are tried and tested at this point in time and have been used in more than two thousand installations in Europe, the US and Russia.

The charging infrastructure for electric cars is being expanded at an incredible pace, and it is important for it to be both cost-effective and scalable right from the outset; in terms of what happens underground and also in terms of hardware, cloud services and payment services. Unimi's patented ground foundations allow property owners that initially just want to install a small number of charging posts to sink foundations so as to prepare for more posts as they are required. This avoids that having to excavate several times over.

- DEFA and Unimi share the same philosophy as regards modular construction and simplicity when it comes to installing and replacing equipment during servicing and maintenance. We have both built systems which guarantee safety and correctness right from the outset, says Charlotte Eisner, Global Sales and Market Director at DEFA e-mobility.

Preparing for electric car charging when constructing new buildings is exactly like laying fibre-optic cables – it goes without saying that it has to be done. Sinking the 100 kg cylindrical foundations straight away while groundworks are in progress is a smart idea. The Unimi solution provides protection against collision with the post itself and facilitates and guarantees safe laying of data cables and power. Together with DEFA charging products, which are designed for Nordic climate, this is a winning and sustainable concept.

- Partnership with a major experienced player such as DEFA shows how important it is to provide sound groundworks and correct installation. As of 2025, an EU directive will come into force stating that all multiple occupancy buildings will have to prepare 100% of their parking spaces for electric cars, and we believe that these proposals will be adopted earlier in many countries or cities. Norway has shown us the way, says Mathias Hökfelt, owner and founder of Unimi Solutions.

As a DEFA customer, Unimi foundations and accessories are available for immediate delivery from the central warehouse.