Barcelona to increase public EV-charging network tenfold

The aim is to make the network in the Catalan metropolitan area the largest in Southern Europe

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has taken a decision to create the largest public EV-charging network in Southern Europe by drastically increasing the number of charging stations from 10 to 102. What’s more, the plan is to implement this by next year with a view to making electric-powered private traffic a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

In concrete terms, this will mean that the network will have the capacity to charge up to 367 vehicles at a time. In terms of cost, the project will require 4 million euros to implement, half of which will come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

All EV chargers will supply renewable electricity

AMB, which consists of Barcelona proper and its satellite municipalities, has a vision of becoming the leading administration in the decarbonization of charging points as well. The plan previews to have all EV-charging stations work only with 100% renewable energy.

Breaking it down, of the 102 points, there will be 63 fast charging, 11 semi-fast charging and 28 solar ones. The drastic expansion plan will be made possible thanks to the integration of already existing charging stations into the new network in addition to the installation of brand-new ones.

For instance, AMB plans to integrate 18 municipal and TMB (public transit operator) stations into the new Electrolineres AMB network.

At the end of the expansion, almost all municipalities in the metropolis of Barcelona will have electric charging points. Depending on the population and extension of the municipal area, each municipality may have between 1 and 8 metropolitan public power stations.

Following an initial promotional period when access to the EV-charging stations will be free, drivers will pay rates depending on the type of charging station they use (ranging from normal to ultra-fast).