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The initiative would complete a more than 450 km emission-free route between the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community, with plans to extend it to the rest of the country's freight corridors

2021-07-30 00:00:00.0

Iberdrola, Disfrimur and Ingeteam will develop the first Mediterranean Corridor for 100 % electric heavy transport

We develop the first Mediterranean Corridor for 100 % electric heavy transport

The project includes the procurement of heavy vehicles, the development of innovative extremely fast charging infrastructure (electric chargers up to 1 MW) and the deployment of a smart grid

Iberdrola is leading a project to develop the first Mediterranean Corridor for 100 % electric heavy road transport in collaboration with transport and logistics company Disfrimur and power electronics specialists, Ingeteam.

The initiative includes three areas of action: the acquisition of 100% electric heavy goods vehicles of up to 40 tonnes; the development of public charging infrastructure, installing charging points at Disfrimur's logistics bases — also open to public use — and at other stations equipped with very high power chargers for intercity journeys; as well as the deployment of a smart grid to service these chargers, ensuring maximum efficiency.

The project would complete the first Mediterranean Corridor for 100 % electric heavy transport, which would run through the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community, although the developers intend to extend it to all the other national freight corridors in the coming years.

The electric charging stations would be installed in Disfrimur's logistics centres in Sangonera La Seca (Murcia) and San Isidro (Alicante). Subsequently, the first electric Mediterranean Corridor would be further developed with chargers along the route and on other Disfrimur logistics sites, covering the entire Benicarló (Castellón) - Puerto Lumbreras (Murcia) route. A total of more than 450 km of emission-free freight transport routes.

The initiative is also pioneering the development and use of very high-powered electric chargers, up to 1 MW, a technology currently undergoing standardisation. The development of this charging point will follow the future Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard for rapid charging of heavy vehicles like lorries and buses. It will allow vehicles with 200-600 kWh batteries to be charged in just 20-30 minutes. This will mean increasing the charging voltage to up to 1,500 V with a current of more than 1,000 A.

This type of infrastructure will make it possible to charge vehicles at high speeds along the route, essential for electrifying the long-distance transport of goods and for 24/7 goods distribution services. The initiative - which has been submitted to the Next Generation EU programme- is a benchmark in the use of very high-powered chargers, which will revolutionise road freight transport in the short and medium term.

Forming alliances and sharing capacities

To undertake this project, Iberdrola has entered into alliances that allow it to add capacities in the field of transport, with Disfrimur, and power electronics, with Ingeteam, the company in charge of manufacturing the new high-power charger. The Transport Environment& Institution will collaborate with analysis and technical validation of this pioneering proposal.
Iberdrola will develop new smart solutions for electric mobility services for heavy road transport, including this project to install ultra-fast chargers to serve electric trucks in the corridor, as well as their operation and maintenance. Meanwhile, Ingeteam, will be responsible for manufacturing and supplying this type of high-power charger.

The initiative will also entail the development of a smart grid infrastructure to service these chargers, ensuring maximum efficiency, which will be provided by Iberdrola's distribution company, i-DE. The distribution company will contribute to these projects as an energy project facilitator, advising on aspects including the optimal selection of infrastructure locations.

Investments to speed up decarbonisation and economic reactivation

Iberdrola remains committed to the electrification of transport in its strategy for the transition to a decarbonised economy and sees this as a key lever for reducing emissions and pollution, as well as for the green recovery of the economy and employment.

The company is rolling out a sustainable mobility plan, which envisages the installation in the coming years of around 150,000 charging points in homes and businesses, as well as on urban roads, in cities and on the main motorways.

Iberdrola has been leading the energy transition for two decades, acting as a key driving force to transform the industrial fabric and in the green recovery of the economy and employment.

To achieve this, the company has launched a historic investment plan worth €150bn over the next decade (€75bn by 2025), to triple its renewable capacity to almost 100,000 MW, doubling its network assets and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the energy revolution the world's leading economies are facing.

After investing 120 billion euros over the last twenty years, Iberdrola is a leader in renewable energy with 35,000 MW installed worldwide; a volume that makes its generation park one of the cleanest in the energy sector.

The strategy of investing in clean energy and grids will enable Iberdrola to become a carbon neutral company in Europe by 2030.

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About Iberdrola

Iberdrola is a leading global energy supplier -the third-largest by market capitalisation in the world and the leader in renewables- championing the energy transition towards a low-emissions economy. The group supplies energy to around 100 million people in dozens of countries and has renewable, grid and retail activities in Europe (Spain, the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the US, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, while counting markets including Japan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland among its growth platforms.

With a workforce of more than 37,000 and assets of over €122.5 billion, it recorded turnover in excess of €33 billion and net profit slightly exceeding €3.6 billion in 2020. The company contributes to the maintenance of 400,000 jobs in its supply chain, with an annual procurement budget of €14 billion. A leader in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has committed more than €120bn over the last two decades to building a sustainable energy model based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

About Ingeteam

Ingeteam is an international technology group specialising in electrical energy conversion. Its technological developments in power and control electronics (inverters, frequency converters, controllers and protections), rotating electrical machines (motors, generators and Indar motor-pump units), systems (integration of electromechanical and automation engineering) and operation and maintenance services, enables it to offer solutions for the wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric and fossil generation sectors, the metal processing industry, shipbuilding, railway traction and the electricity grid, including both transmission and distribution substations, always seeking more efficient energy generation and consumption.

The Ingeteam Group operates worldwide and has permanent offices in 24 countries, employing more than 4,000 people. Its activity is based on R&D&i, investing more than 5 % of its turnover in this every year. Since 2011, we have been present in the Electric Mobility sector by developing and supplying our customers with AC and DC INGEREV® branded charging points with the FUSION, RAPID 50 AND RAPID ST200/400 models.

About Disfrimur

Disfrimur is a private, Spanish, family-owned company specialised in transport and logistics, which has its own fleet equipped with the most innovative technology and which travels throughout the national territory, transporting all types of goods related to food and large-scale consumption.

Disfrimur's objectives are based on offering transport services with the highest quality, at the most competitive cost and in the shortest possible time. The company is committed to its customers, to society and to its transport model, which is safe, efficient and sustainable. Disfrimur continues on its journey to reach its goal of becoming an environmentally invisible company. Measure to reduce and finally, to offset.