Spain has all the elements to advance in the electrification of transport. Andrea Brentan, President and Co-Founder of Powyyou know it well. The former CEO of Endesa talks about the company plans and points out the problems that are delaying the deployment of charging infrastructure in our country.
Could you give us an overview of the evolution of the company since its founding six years ago?
powy is a company that owns, develops and manages a public charging infrastructure network for electric vehicles founded in 2018 in Turin (Italy), whose business we have also extended to Spain. The Powy network, which covers a wide power segment ranging from 22 kW to 400 kWis located in strategic locations and easy accesswith agreements of 10 or more years with the owners of the destinations: public and private parking lots, supermarkets, shopping centers, train stations and highways, etc. Currently we have 2,000 charging pointsof which slightly less than half are in operation and the rest under construction, and of which more than 5% are in Spain. To this figure we must also add almost a thousand more points signed or in the negotiation phase. In May 2023 he entered the capital of the company, with 84 million euros, the Swiss Life Asset Manager investment fund to support our expansion in both countries. The idea is to ensure that the effort in Italy is equivalent to that in Spain, although everything will depend on market conditions. To achieve all this, my partner and also co-founder of Powy, Federico Fea, and I have surrounded ourselves with a great team with extensive experience in three key sectors: energy, automotive and digitalization.
They have just launched the new app for users in Italy. When will it be active in Spain?
We are putting a lot of resources into trying to do things with the end customer in mind. In Italy we launched the app on October 14 and in Spain it will be available in a few weeks. We have done a very long and expensive job to make this application, learning from the experiences we have from other applications. Powy Charge allows you to locate charging stations in a interactive map and access real time information about availability. Furthermore, the route planning function Based on the vehicle model and battery level, it ensures that users can travel without worrying about range. For partners, it is an additional opportunity to give visibility to their stations. The app supports most of the payment methods and introduces the use of RFID device, which allows users to start and stop charging with a simple touch. Additionally, Powy Charge also offers the ability to run personalized promotions for customers and corporate partners. Our goal is to continue moving forward and, in the near future, we want to implement the Plug & Charge technologywhich simplifies the charging process for electric cars, since authorization is done automatically by connecting the cable to the vehicle.
What are the bottlenecks that are preventing Spain from advancing in the deployment of charging infrastructure?
Many things have been done in Spain. And I say this knowingly because I have closely experienced its transition towards renewables, where Spain acquired a global leadership role and, therefore, It has a solid technical base to enter the electrification of transportation. Both sectors are complementary and similar in structure, because in both we are talking about many locations and many electrical connections. However, and Although Spain has favorable policies and clear objectives, the market share at the national level is one of the lowest in Europe. One of the problems we see in Spain is that it has a very complicated administrative structure at the municipal, provincial, autonomous community and national levels that should be simplified to a single regulation to avoid these overlaps and give a clear vision to operators. This would help reduce the waiting time for procedures to obtain permits. Another fundamental issue is streamline connections to the electrical grid. And here I am referring to the distributors, which are the ones that make the connection connections. The distribution sector is a regulated sector and that means that remuneration is based on an asset base. And we also know that this asset base has to be planned years in advance. It is true that it is more difficult to plan small things, but it is possible to do it one or two years in advance to know what is needed and where the reinforcements of the meshes that later reach the connections have to be made. This is possible with the digital media we have today.
And what do you think of the aid? Do you think they are effective as they are proposed?
The aid would not be necessary if we did not have set times for decarbonization. But, since we work against the clock, Any help in these initial years of development of the sector is positive. In the case of aid for the purchase of electric cars, the difference between Spain and Italy is here It takes between one or two years to receive themwhile In Italy the discount is made directly when you buy the vehicle. In the case of aid to Charging Point Operators (CPO) like us, while in Italy aid is carried out through large tenders, which clearly favors large CPOs, in Spain the concept is that if your station recharge meets the requirements, you are entitled to aid. The problem is that this entire process takes a long time.
Is the PNIEC’s goal of 5.5 million electric vehicles in 2030 credible? Will it be difficult to meet electricity demand forecasts?
The discourse is delicate because the figures are not invented and have been done quite well from the point of view of simulations and future projections, since they are more or less the orders of magnitudes that are needed to make gradual growth towards Europe’s objectives. The problem is that We are late in both Spain and Italy. Investments are being made and there is a change in mentality on the part of the citizen. That’s why We need to move forward and start solving all the problems we have now. and, for this, we need the collaboration of all the parties involved in this process.
Last April they reached an agreement with Cox Energy, the energy business unit of Coxabengoa that is in the process of going public. What does it consist of?
Thanks to this agreement, vehicles using Powy charging points will be powered by 100% renewable energy supplied by Cox Energycoming from the network and from self-consumption facilities located on the Powy charging network. Another leg of the agreement that will become effective when we have greater volumes in Spain is the self-production and self-storage of electrical energytaking advantage of solar installations and virtual battery technology. This initiative will create value both for the energy system and for those who opt for this offer, with coverage that will extend up to 2 kilometers thanks to Cox Energy energy communities.
How do you assess European tariffs on Chinese electric cars?
I understand the reason and respect it, but tariffs are not going to solve the problemsince China has begun to have a clear strategy 15 years ago. In fact, in the medium-long term nothing has ever been resolved with tariffs. Everything would have to focus on how to recover this delaybecause today the Chinese sell more cars than the rest of the world. The objectives are not touched, but the new European Commission could think about implementing better supporting measures for companies and car manufacturers.
#Andrea #Brentan #President #Powy #Administrative #procedures #Spain #simplified #give #clear #vision #operators
