Endesa to recharge airports? electric vehicles

Endesa has won the tender to develop and install the power supply network for Aena’s fleet of electric vehicles at Madrid, Barcelona, Palma and Lanzarote airports. The contract is for three years and entails the development of a pilot programme devised by Aena to assess the feasibility of replacing the conventional vehicles it uses in airport operations with electric vehicles. The project also aims to promote the use of these vehicles by other companies with operations at airports, such as airlines or ground handling companies.

For the pilot programme, Endesa was chosen via tender to oversee the acquisition and installation of recharging infrastructure for the supply of power that will be integrated into Aena’s airport systems. The 53 recharging points to be included in the network will be divided up among the four airports participating in the pilot scheme, as follows: 18 in Madrid, 15 in Barcelona, 12 in Palma de Mallorca and 8 in Lanzarote.

Endesa’s solution, based on a technological development of General Electric, allows for efficient energy usage as recharges can be scheduled based on an airport’s actual energy demand. Thus, electric vehicles operating “air side” (the internal area of an airport where aircraft land and take off) will recharge during off-peak times or at night.

The recharging solution comprises a conventional (not fast) recharging system using advanced smart technology, the first of its kind in Spain and Europe, which allows recharging stations to be hooked up to a control centre at each airport to handle data on power curves, recharge curves and each vehicle’s range in real time, among other functionalities.

Endesa and General Electric’s solution was chosen in a public tender from among six bidders because of the reliability and technical advantages of the supply system developed compared to the other proposals.

Electric vehicle development at Endesa

The development of a sustainable transport policy is a cornerstone of Endesa’s 2008-2012 Strategic Sustainability Plan. In Spain, the company is involved in rolling out e-mobility projects (MOVELE project) in Madrid and Barcelona, and in the main technological initiatives (Cenit VERDE, DER22@ and REVE – Regulación Eólica con Vehículos Eléctricos projects). It also recently entered into agreements with leading companies, such as Mitsubishi, to promote e-mobility.

In Europe, Endesa is part of the Green eMotion consortium and is also the only Spanish company involved in the ELVIRE and G4V consortia aimed at developing the necessary technology, solutions and services to enable on-going interaction between drivers, their power suppliers and the smart grid. These projects also evaluate the impact of a large-scale introduction of electric vehicles on the power grid.

Endesa was one of the first companies to join international standardisation and regulation groups for e-mobility equipment, systems and solutions. It recently teamed up with CHAdeMO, the Japanese association that provides the most extensive fast charge service for electric vehicles anywhere in the world and which aims to expand the roll-out of these recharging points worldwide and set recharge standards.

The two entities are also working together on the ZEM2ALL Project being rolled out in Malaga over the next four years.

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