One of the largest and most powerful indoor charging hubs in Europe has been built in the center of Madrid, Spain.
The Canalejas 360 charging hub, operated at the Plaza de Canalejas (on floor -1) by the Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT), consists of 12 DC fast chargers, with a combined total output of roughly 2.5 MW.
The key elements of the project are four Circontrol Raption 400 chargers (a new product from Circontrol) with a peak output of 400 kW (CCS Combo 2). It means about 1.6 MW of power is allocated just for those four stalls.
Joan Hinojo, CEO of Circontrol, said:
“with the installation of the four Raption 400 in Canalejas, the company has demonstrated again its ability to keep pace with the market that increasingly demands more powerful and faster chargers”
On top of that, the station is equipped also with four 200 kW DC fast chargers and four 50 kW DC fast chargers, to cover various customer needs.
According to the press release, the location of this charging hub is strategic, as it will facilitate the use of electric vehicles in the center of the Spanish capital.
On the other hand, we guess that ultra-fast chargers (especially 400 kW, for next-generation EVs) are primarily needed along highways.
It will be very interesting to see which solution will become the most economically viable for such locations - 150-200 kW or the top-of-the-line units with 350-400 kW output. Currently, the Canalejas 360 charging hub is more of an exception, especially since there are not many EVs that could even utilize such charging power or can take it only for a brief period of time.
Earlier this year, our very own Tom Moloughney discovered that fast charging of the Lucid Air takes just several minutes longer when using a 150 kW charger, rather than a 350 kW charger. Having a 400 kW charger would not shorten the time at all, as the maximum output is limited by the car's batteries.
