CEPSA AND IONITY COMPLETE THE FIRST CORRIDOR OF THE LARGEST INTERCITY HIGH POWER CHARGING NETWORK ON THE IBERIAN PENINSULA

The Madrid-Barcelona corridor, with 5 high power charging stations, makes it possible for the first time to make this journey in an electric vehicle with a state-of-the-art HPC technology without adding extra charging time to the trip
Pierre-Yves Sachet, Director of Cepsa’s Commercial area and Director of Strategic Growth area, said that “at Cepsa, we understand the challenges ahead of global climate and sustainable energy and we want to be a relevant part of the Energy Transition, that is why we’re working every day to find new ways to use energy in order to serve people, companies and society as a whole”. Allard Sellmeijer Spain & Portugal Country Manager at IONITY, explained: “Our mission is to be there for current and future EV drivers offering a reliable, green high-power charging experience. We are therefore pleased to cooperate with such a strong partner here on the Iberian Peninsula to expand our network.”
The aim of the partnership is to allow EV clients to travel fully free throughout the Iberian Peninsula by installing high-power charging stations in strategic locations. To this end, this alliance will operate high-power electric chargers at 35 Cepsa Service Stations in 2021 located in the main peninsular corridors
The IONITY high power charging stations use 100% renewable energy supplied by Cepsa are capable of charging an electric vehicle with up to 350kW of power and use the European standard Combined Charging System (CCS)
Cepsa in partnership with IONITY, Europe’s leading high-power charging network formed by the BMW Group, Mercedes Benz AG, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche, have made progress in the creation of the largest public intercity electric mobility network on the Iberian Peninsula with the inauguration of the first high power charging corridor in Spain, which connects Madrid and Barcelona.

The corridor now makes it possible to travel between the country’s two main cities in electric vehicles with the guarantee of a reliable and green charging network with state of the art technology along the way. This first high power charging corridor in Spain enables a much faster and seamless EV charging experience on the 650km between Madrid and Barcelona. With the commissioning of the first public high-power charging station in Madrid, IONITY now operates 5 high-power charging stations along the A-2 highway. In addition to Madrid, there are charging stations in Zaragoza (Ariza), Lérida (Vilasana) and Barcelona (Pallejà), all located at Cepsa Service Stations.




Likewise, IONITY also has another facility at the Cepsa Service Station in Murcia (Puerto Lumbreras). Another eight are under construction in Asturias, Badajoz, Ciudad Real, Huelva, Lugo, Malaga, Navarra and Salamanca.


The goal of both companies is to cover the main intercity routes in Spain and Portugal, as well as the main connecting routes with the rest of the European continent, by operating high- power electric chargers in 35 Cepsa’s Service Stations in 2021 located at strategic locations along the main peninsular corridors.


Drivers of electric cars can now rapidly recharge their vehicles with 100% renewable energy supplied by Cepsa. IONITY’s chargers use the Combined Charging System (CCS) – the most widespread European charging standard for current and future generations of electric vehicles. With a capability to charge at powers up to 350 kW, they are among the most powerful on the market, allowing drivers of electric vehicles to travel long distances without adding extra charging time to their trip.


In addition to the directors of both companies, the opening ceremony, held at Cepsa’s Service Station in Campo de las Naciones (Madrid), was attended by Hugo Morán, Secretary of State of the Environment for the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge; Ángel Garrido, Regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure of Comunidad de Madrid; and Mercedes Gómez, General Director of Land Transport of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.


Pierre-Yves Sachet, Director of Cepsa’s Commercial area and Director of Strategic Growth, contextualized the partnership with IONITY within the energy transition that the sector is undergoing: “At Cepsa, we understand the challenges ahead of global climate and sustainable energy and we want to be a relevant part of the Energy Transition, that is why we’re working every day to find new ways to use energy in order to serve people, companies and society as a whole”.


Allard Sellmeijer Spain & Portugal Country Manager at IONITY, highlighted: “The Spanish government plans on having 5m. electric vehicles on the road by 2030. One of the biggest hurdles in the adoption of electric cars, however, is the lack of a reliable, high-power charging infrastructure. Our mission is to be there for current and future EV drivers offering a reliable, green fast-charging experience. We are therefore pleased to cooperate with such a strong partner here on the Iberian Peninsula to expand our network. This is another important step in connecting Europe and making long distance travel with electric cars the new normal.”

Likewise, Hugo Morán, Secretary of State of the Environment for the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, stated that “Spain has enormous advantages to lead the sustainable mobility sector. It has a professionalized industry containing all the elements of the value chain and regulatory signals that favor foresight and good positioning in the markets.” “The processes where the ecological transition and the digital transformation intersect lead us to a more modern, efficient, and competitive economy and, moreover, are an opportunity to activate economic recovery. This is how the European Union and the Spanish Government see it. That is why, within the Recovery Plan, we are including a sustainable, safe, and connected Mobility Shock Plan in urban and metropolitan settings that envisages a boost to electric vehicles with at least 100,000 electric vehicle recharging points in 2030.”


For his part, Angel Garrido, Regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure of Comunidad de Madrid, stressed that “in Comunidad de Madrid, the regional government aims to improve public transport infrastructure and integrate all means, public and private, with a definitive commitment to electrification.” “That is why we can only support pioneering initiatives, like the Madrid-Barcelona electric-charging corridor, which contribute to the transition to increasingly sustainable vehicles.”


According to Mercedes Gomez, General Director of Land Transport of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA), “the MITMA has introduced es.movilidad, a Strategy for Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility which is, along with the Spanish Urban Agenda, the strategic cornerstone of Ministry actions aimed at facing transport, logistics and mobility challenges on the horizon of 2030. Electric and connected mobility on the whole, recharging points, digitalizing processes, batteries, etc., are part of the first step towards that mobility of the future under the European Green Deal where decarbonization is not just important, but essential.”

Cepsa and IONITY reached a collaboration agreement in 2018 for the installation of electric charging stations on a preferential basis in the energy company’s Service Stations in Spain and Portugal. The extension of Cepsa’s network, with more than 1800 Service Stations in Spain and Portugal which offer a comfortable place to stop and take a break or have a snack, is a fundamental part of the project since it allows chargers to be installed at strategic locations along the main intercity roads of the Iberian Peninsula.