Rapid charging network in Portugal and Spain to be completed in 2020

Travelling between Portugal and France in an electric car in less time is close to becoming a reality, thanks to the CIRVE (Iberian Corridor for Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging Infrastructure) project

In all, the Iberian Corridor for Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging Infrastructure consists of the installation of 18 rapid charging points in Portugal, and 40 in Spain, helping to facilitate and promote electric mobility and the use of electric vehicles in the Iberian Peninsula. This initiative will link the two countries to the rest of Europe through an interoperable cross-border framework, which will also enable the implementation of the European alternative fuel strategy.

The national project, CIRVE_PT, launched in 2017 by the joint-venture headed by MOBI.E, and which brings together Petrogal and CEiiA - Centre for Excellence and Innovation in the Automotive Industry, should have been completed by the end of 2020. The main physical investments associated with CIRVE_PT will be conducted on major roads, more specifically along the Central Atlantic Network Corridor.

Under the CIRVE_PT project, each rapid charging station features three 50 kW chargers, enabling electric batteries to be charged in around 20 minutes, a time that can be reduced as new technological advances emerge. Another benefit of this charging network is that customers can use a single account for the billing of all the charges made along the route across the two countries. In Portugal, the initiative aims to strengthen and expand the geographic coverage of rapid charging infrastructure, as a means of guaranteeing the connection of the main urban areas along the entire major road network, and which will bring us closer to Central Europe through the Atlantic Corridor.

The primary goal, besides the promotion of investment in technology in order to expand the charging network, is to provide green mobility with new development conditions to enable it to become an increasing economically sustainable option. As such, CIRVE_PT intends to establish a knowledge base for expanding the use of electric vehicles, underlining the attractive nature of this sector for operators and service providers. In turn, universal access to charging points at cross-border and EU level will make it possible to enhance the appeal of electric mobility as an alternative for increasingly long journeys.

Galp already has 18 rapid electric charging points in Portugal and the first to be installed under the CIRVE_PT project will be at the Galp service station in Alcochete.