INTERVIEW Cristian Prichea, SPARK Romania: “We expect growing demand from the corporate sector”

“In the context of long delays in the delivery of new vehicles caused by the semiconductor crisis, doubled by the increase in the prices of traditional fuels, the solutions offered by us come to the aid of companies through reduced costs and flexible services,” Cristian Prichea, Country Manager, SPARK Romania told Automotive Today.

“Immediate availability, zero costs of fleet maintenance and fueling, elimination of the fleet management process and cost optimization through the innovative pay-as-you-go concept are real benefits for green companies and not only in the difficult economic context we are facing at the moment.”

What are your objectives as Country Manager of SPARK Romania for 2022 and 2023?

Our main objective for the next period is to strengthen the leading position we currently hold in Romania. We are one of the few companies in the world that offers 100% electric car-sharing services, and we believe that so far we have been able to demonstrate that urban mobility can keep the car at its center as one of the most important needs and habits of Bucharest residents.

How do you see the evolution of the car sharing market in Romania in 2023, considering the current economic context?

When we talk about the car-sharing market in Romania, we cannot ignore the fact that this market is a young, developing one, and as the new technology is adopted, it is natural to see rapid movements from the main players.

In the context of long delays in the delivery of new vehicles caused by the semiconductor crisis, doubled by the increase in the prices of traditional fuels, the solutions offered by us come to the aid of companies through reduced costs and flexible services.

Immediate availability, zero costs of fleet maintenance and fueling, elimination of the fleet management process and cost optimization through the innovative pay-as-you-go concept are real benefits for green companies and not only in the difficult economic context we are facing at the moment.

As companies become more concerned about the impact they have on the environment, we expect an increase in the requests we receive from the corporate sector.

What are the challenges regarding the consolidation of SPARK’s position in this market?

With a fleet of 500 fully electric vehicles, SPARK is just starting to improve the quality of urban mobility and transform the way we travel in Bucharest. By the end of the year we expect the number of active clients to exceed 55,000, and if until now our attention has been focused exclusively on private clients, in the next period we will also focus on the corporate sector.

What solutions and services do you think would increase the appetite of Romanian customers for car sharing platforms with electric cars?

Most of our users have a real appetite for technology and the new, and for many of them their first experience behind the wheel of an electric car was with SPARK. Mostly men, passionate about technology and sports, our users understand very well the benefits that this new service brings. The opportunity to be able to use a vehicle without having to own and maintain one is unprecedented and has only been possible with the help of technology.

The mobility alternative that SPARK offers has the ability to penetrate inside neighborhoods, in areas where public transport is difficult to access, facilitating everyone’s access to mobility with zero CO2 emissions. The car-sharing service we offer has been designed to connect communities in a more efficient, environmentally friendly way by offering a convenient and affordable alternative for everyone.