Madrid unveils Europe's largest electric charging station for urban buses

Madrid's municipal transport company (EMT Madrid) has launched a new electric charging station in the southern Carabanchel district. The project is the largest of its kind for urban buses in Europe and can supply power to 118 buses simultaneously. This recent installation brings the total number of charging points in Madrid's city centre to 260. 

The project, executed by Iberdrola, cost €11.3 million in total, of which €6.7 million was allocated to construction. The majority of the funds (90%) came from the European Union's NextGenerationEU plan via a specific funding stream that aimed to support the implementation of low emission zones and promote sustainable, digital urban transport. 

The deployment of these charging points marks the third phase of the electrification process in Carabanchel's operations centre, with prior phases taking place between 2018 and 2023. The newly installed units feature inverted pantographs which connect to the buses via Wi-Fi. These pantographs eliminate the need for operator intervention or extended driver wait times as the charging cycle of up to three-hours is facilitated by a mechanical arm connected to each vehicle roof. In addition to the pantographs, the new charging station houses a range of innovative features, including an advanced fire protection system, gas detection systems, extinguishers, and thermographic cameras. 

Moving forward, EMT aims to continue their efforts in reducing the environmental impact of transport and supporting the city's objectives to install 320 charging points by 2025. They anticipate 230 of these units will use pantograph systems and the remaining 90 will use traditional plug-in mechanisms. The Carabanchel charging station, and ongoing plans to improve vehicle charging infrastructure across the city, demonstrate the progress being made in the city's transition to sustainable urban mobility.