The Association of Electric Vehicle Users visits our Smart Mobility Lab in Bilbao

The Association of Electric Vehicle Users (AUVE) has visited Iberdrola's Smart Mobility Laboratory in Bilbao. The president of AUVE in Spain, Mikel Agirregabiria, accompanied by other members of the non-profit organisation, such as the AUVE delegate in the Basque Country, Gorka Retes, and the president of the Federation of Associations of Industrial Engineers, Luciano Azpiazu, were able to see first-hand the different types of electric car chargers, their characteristics, their operation and the tests carried out at this research centre on electric charging infrastructures.

Located in Iberdrola's Larraskitu complex in Bilbao, this unique facility in the country researches and tests all types of recharging points in collaboration with numerous manufacturers.

In this regard, AUVE representatives were able to see the work carried out by Iberdrola to supply electric recharging according to the different manufacturers of electric vehicles, how the correct operation and communication of the equipment is ensured and the speed of development in this area, where new equipment and new functionalities are constantly appearing. They also learned about the process that is carried out with public administrations to promote the implementation of charging points and the difficulties of permits and administrative procedures.

AUVE has highlighted the need for this type of research centre that integrates charging point manufacturers with car manufacturers and has called for the need to increase the number of charging points on public roads.

The Smart Mobility Laboratory not only analyses the integration of new models coming onto the market with Iberdrola's charging system, but also updates the equipment operating in the market with constant charging and communications tests.

Installed in what used to be a garage for official cars, Iberdrola's Smart Mobility Laboratory, which is managed by the Smart Solutions division, has around 30 charging points of different power ratings that cover domestic, public and company installations.

It has a total of 400 kW of power and also serves as a showroom where manufacturers come to carry out their charging and communication tests between vehicles and charging points. It also serves to support the after-sales service by investigating incidents found in operational equipment, replicating them and providing solutions remotely.

Manufacturers using these installations include Ingeteam, Circutor-Circontrol, ABB, ZIV, Power-electronics, Tritium, Efacec, Etrel, Hipercharger, Teldat and Veltium, among others.

Electric mobility and green recovery

Iberdrola is rolling out a sustainable mobility plan, with an investment of 150 million euros, with which it will intensify the deployment of charging points for electric vehicles in the coming years. The initiative envisages the installation of around 150,000 charging points, both in homes and businesses, as well as on urban roads, in cities and on the main motorways in the coming years. The commitment to the deployment of high-efficiency stations will take the form of ultra-fast (over 350 kW), super-fast (over 150 kW) and fast (50 kW) stations.

Iberdrola is aware of the need to promote electromobility in Spain through coordinated and effective action with the main agents involved. In this regard, the company has already completed more than 50 infrastructure deployment agreements with administrations, institutions, companies, service stations, dealers and electric vehicle manufacturers.

The company was the first Spanish company to sign up to The Climate Group's EV100 initiative, with the aim of accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, committing to electrify its entire fleet of vehicles and facilitate charging for staff in its businesses in Spain and the UK by 2030.

About AUVE

The Association of Electric Vehicle Users, "AUVE", is a national non-profit association made up of users and those interested in electric vehicles. This association was born out of the need to promote electric mobility through public charging infrastructure and government incentives. Among its objectives: To promote, on a non-profit basis, the development of electric vehicles, as well as the equipment, applications, services and infrastructures necessary for this purpose; to protect and defend the rights and interests of electric vehicle users and to serve as an exchange of information and knowledge.