Iberdrola, Disfrimur and Ingeteam will 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 150 billion euros over the next decade - 75 billion euros 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.