The first fast charging station in the Caribbean region for electric vehicles, also known as an electrolinera, hopes to begin its activity in Punta Cana in the coming weeks. At that time, the 29 dispensers with 225 kW power will be ready.
The initiative is led by the Latin American Association of Sustainable Mobility in alliance with Evergo Connect and the Dominican Electric Mobility Association. It has the collaboration of the Punta Cana Macao Energy Consortium (CEPM), with an approximate cost of 7 million dollars.
In that sense, the general manager of Evergo Connect, Oscar San Martin, highlighted that it will be a great charging point for electric vehicles with hyper-fast and non-super-fast mode. Currently, some shopping centers and other stations offer an average charging time of up to 15 minutes.
For his part, the executive director of the CEPM, Roberto Herrera, added that the place will be equipped with services for users such as restaurants, children’s entertainment rooms, coworking rooms, and a space for the exchange of electric batteries for motorcycles.
Additionally, as part of the financing, the FV3 photovoltaic park was built, which has approximately 25 megawatts. It “has the particularity of having enough capacity for 40 megawatts of storage for long-term batteries,” said Herrera.
He added that the usage capacity is about four hours, allowing service to be guaranteed while other more powerful batteries are developed.
The visit to this facility was carried out within the framework of the Annual Assembly of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which takes place in Punta Cana until this Sunday. Through its private arm IDB Invest, they supported the investment.
Dominican Republic in the electricity sector has the challenge of going from 16% renewable generation to 30% in 2030. Therefore, the multilateral invests in projects that increase the capacity of more than 240 MegaWatts, such as this electric station or the 100% electrification of Saona Island.
With their innovation organization BID Lab, they support a public-private program for the exchange of 2,000 combustion motorcycles for electric ones for home delivery services in the Greater Santo Domingo area, according to EFE.