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2022-02-16 09:27:00.0

Iberdrola inaugurates the largest ultra-fast charging hub for electric vehicles in southern Europe

•    The facility, located in Elche (Alicante), has a nominal power of four megawatts and chargers of up to 400 kW, capable of recharging car batteries in less than five minutes

•    The company, in partnership with Porsche, plans to boost electric mobility by setting up 35 ultra-fast charging stations, which will enable Iberdrola to expand its charging network, the most powerful in Spain 

Iberdrola has inaugurated the largest ultra-fast charging hub for electric vehicles that currently exists in southern Europe. Located in a strategic location on the A-70 motorway, in the municipality of Elche, the facility consists of two charging stations -one in each direction of the motorway- and will have a total nominal power of four megawatts.

The infrastructure, carried out in cooperation with Porsche, comprises a total of four 400 kW chargers and 12 200 kW chargers, which can charge up to 16 vehicles simultaneously and recharge an electric car battery in less than five minutes.  

The presentation ceremony was attended by the Councillor for Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility, Arcadi España; the Mayor of Elche, Carlos González; the General Manager of Porsche Ibérica, Tomás Villén; and the Global Director of Smart Mobility at Iberdrola, Raquel Blanco, who explained how the installation works and presented Iberdrola's electric vehicle charging network, the most powerful in Spain.

According to Raquel Blanco, "Iberdrola is making a significant investment in this type of infrastructure to provide coverage for intercity journeys for electric vehicle users. These are innovative facilities, suitable for any type of electric car, which allow batteries to be charged in very short times and which, together with the network of charging points that the company has in operation in the rest of Spain, represent a definitive commitment to the decarbonisation of mobility in our country".

Ultra-fast recharging stations development plan

Iberdrola, a world leader in renewable energies, has partnered with Porsche, a leader in technology and innovation, to install a total of 35 ultra-fast charging stations in Spain with the most powerful chargers on the market. This collaboration also includes the installation of 15 innovative charging points at strategic nodes, with more than 300 kW of power per unit, associated with battery storage systems that increase the efficiency of the facilities.

In addition to this alliance, the company continues with its electric mobility expansion plan, which will allow it to install ultra-fast charging stations in strategic areas throughout the country in the coming years, as well as continuing with the deployment of lower power facilities. These ultra-fast charging hubs join Iberdrola's network of charging infrastructure, which already has more than 2,500 public charging points in operation nationwide.

Raquel Blanco stressed that these types of infrastructures "are pioneers in our country and anticipate the future of electric vehicles. They are committed to innovation and the latest technology, with ultra-fast charging chargers and very high power (400 kW) that make a unique charging experience possible due to their speed and simplicity".

It should be noted that users of these facilities will recharge the battery of their electric cars with 100% green energy, from renewable generation sources with a guarantee of origin certificate (GdOs) and the charging points will be located on the Iberdrola Public Charging App. This is the only application in Spain that includes verified information on all electric vehicle chargers, both those of Iberdrola and those of other operators, from which you can geolocate the charger, check its operation in real time and book and pay from your mobile phone.

Electric mobility and green recovery

The electricity company is rolling out a sustainable mobility plan, with an investment of 150 million euros, with which it will intensify the deployment of charging points for electric vehicles in the coming years. The initiative envisages the installation of around 150,000 charging points, both in homes and businesses, as well as on urban roads, in cities and on the main motorways in the coming years. The commitment to the deployment of high-efficiency stations will take the form of ultra-fast (over 350 kW), super-fast (over 150 kW) and fast (50 kW) stations.

Iberdrola is aware of the need to promote electromobility in Spain through coordinated and effective action with the main agents involved. In this regard, the company has already completed more than 50 infrastructure deployment agreements with administrations, institutions, companies, service stations, dealers and electric vehicle manufacturers.

The company was the first Spanish company to sign up to The Climate Group's EV100 initiative, with the aim of accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, committing to electrify its entire fleet of vehicles and facilitate charging for staff in its businesses in Spain and the UK by 2030.