Ruoholahden Pysäköinti, Helsinki

Overview

Ruoholahden Pysäköinti Oy manages an extensive parking portfolio in the Ruoholahden district of Helsinki, serving both local residents and businesses. The estate includes 340 spaces across four garages and 783 outdoor spaces across 25 separate lots. Prompted by rising demand for EV charging and a need to reduce administrative overhead, the company transitioned from manual, key-based heating posts to a fully digital, remote-controlled ecosystem.

Challenge

Managing over hundreds of parking spots manually created a significant administrative burden, including physical key management, manual billing for electricity, and complex residency verification. Additionally, the existing infrastructure was designed only for engine heating, leaving no modern solution for the increasing number of electric vehicle users in the area. The company needed a unified system to handle equipment control, user authentication, and financial transactions simultaneously.

Solution

The company implemented a dual-layered solution combining Harju Elekter’s hardware with the eParking.fi platform:

• Hardware Upgrade: All legacy heating posts were replaced with smart eTolppa units. These units function without physical keys, using digital locks and handles operated via a mobile app.
• Administrative Automation: The eParking system now handles lease agreements, residency verification based on address data, and automated billing.
• Consolidated Billing: Users now receive a single invoice covering both their parking space rent and their actual electricity consumption (both for heating and charging).

Technical description

The rollout represents one of the most geographically distributed smart-pole installations in the city:

• Quantity: Over 600 smart units delivered in 2022.
• Charging Capacity: 3.6 kW slow-charging stations, ideal for overnight residential use and long-term workplace parking.
• Scope: * 4 Parking garages (340 spaces). 25 Outdoor parking areas (783 spaces).
• Control Infrastructure: Integrated eTolppa hardware with remote management, eliminating the need for physical keys.
• Scalability: While the standard installation provides 3.6 kW, the infrastructure allows for the rental of high-power charging stations for users with higher demand.

Outcome

The project has drastically reduced the workload for Ruoholahden Pysäköinti’s staff by automating permits and payments. For the residents, the experience is now seamless: the same app that unlocks the charging post also manages their parking permit and bills them based on accurate meter readings. Misuse of the posts has been eliminated since only users with valid digital contracts can activate the power, and the company no longer needs to manage security deposits for physical keys.