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03.10.2023Iberdrola uses electric trucks for network maintenance work in Brazil
- The company is building the Green Corridor, a road of more than 1,200 kilometres between the states of Bahia and Rio Grande where 17 charging points have been installed.
- The vehicles have been developed based on BYD's T7 truck, implementing its own features according to the needs of the project.
Iberdrola, through its Brazilian subsidiary Neoenergia, uses electric trucks to carry out maintenance and construction work on electricity grids in the country. In just over a year, the company's fleet of electric trucks has travelled 29,000 kilometres in the cities of Limeira, Mairiporã, and in the interior of São Paulo.
The initiative, which reinforces Iberdrola's commitment to sustainable mobility, is a Research, Development and Innovation project that forms part of the investment strategy to develop electric mobility in Brazil in different areas.
Among the initiatives developed, the implementation of a control system through telemetry, a technology that allows the remote measurement of physical magnitudes and the subsequent sending of information, stands out. By monitoring battery information automatically and in real time, it is possible to calculate the need for recharging and the points available along the route planned for the lorry.
The vehicles have been developed based on the BYD T7 truck, implementing their own characteristics in accordance with the needs of the project. Thus, the trucks have been fitted with electro-hydraulic overhead baskets and the opportunity recharging system in the distribution network itself. The charger, installed in the body of the truck, can be connected to predetermined points of the distributor's electrical network.
The project also includes the promotion of electric mobility in Brazil in various areas, such as the development of charging infrastructure in the country. The company is building the Green Corridor, a road of more than 1,200 kilometres between the states of Bahia and Rio Grande in which 17 charging points have been installed, 12 of which are fast charging points.
"In Brazil, Neoenergia is committed to an Electric Mobility Programme that includes projects to expand the electric vehicle charging infrastructure and develop new solutions. With our electric truck, we have not only contributed to the creation of a new national product, but we have also innovated in the management of charging and achieved a safe and efficient charging system on the network itself," says Renato Morais, Corporate Fleet Manager at Neoenergia.
Decarbonisation of the economy
Iberdrola is committed to the electrification of transport as part of its transition strategy towards a decarbonised economy. In its drive for sustainable mobility, the company and the Business Association for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (AEDIVE) created in July the first alliance for the electrification of heavy road transport in Spain.
This is the first initiative that brings together all sectors involved in the electrification of heavy road transport: manufacturers, charging infrastructure, logistics operators and end customers.
It aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of heavy road transport and combat climate change. At the same time, it aims to improve fuel efficiency, limit high fuel consumption, and reduce the cost for logistics operators and the country.