Equanimity Energy is dedicated to building high-power charging hubs for electric vehicles, specifically for opportunity charging.
Currently, the company has 39 of these centres, most of which are already under development and have approved funding.
To learn more about the progress of the projects, Mobility Portal Europe speaks with Piet Holtrop, founder of Equanimity Energy, during the virtual event “Voice of eMobility Leaders.”
“We are preparing to begin the construction of five new charging centres in Spain, and we expect to have at least two of them completed by 2025,” reveals Holtrop.
What’s interesting about these hubs is that the company generates 100% renewable energy on-site, stores it, and delivers it to electric vehicles (EVs) when they visit the charging centres.
“When we designed the operational model, we envisioned what the charging network would look like in 2050, assuming we would generate the energy we would consume in Spain. That’s why we thought it would be appropriate to source it as close as possible,” he explains.
He continues: “We combine distributed generation with high-power charging points and use batteries to manage it.”
It is important to note that, for Equanimity Energy, energy storage at charging sites is not a trend, but a necessity.
“We couldn’t operate without it,” acknowledges Holtrop.
The company uses as indicators a generation curve and a vehicle charging curve, which “do not match.”
“That’s why batteries are needed, which are charged with both generation and the grid,” he explains.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that these charging points are not exclusive to cars, but are also designed for electric heavy vehicles.
“Truck drivers need predictability. That’s why they inform us in advance about their estimated arrival time at the hub,” comments the founder.
And he adds: “Ideally, they arrive between 11 and 2, as this is the time when fewer cars are at the site, which allows us to have more energy available and offer a more competitive price.”
Equanimity Energy bets on Battery-as-a-Service
The company offers Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) to various providers.
This solution is flexible and dynamic, both in terms of its use and installation, as the power can be adjusted as needed.
“If the grid energy takes time to arrive and there are peaks in demand, more batteries will be needed,” comments Holtrop.
It is important to note that Equanimity Energy not only develops its own hubs but also creates them for other Charge Point Operators (CPOs).
In fact, half of the sites they plan to develop by 2030 will be intended for other CPOs.
“We would recommend this solution to them because the batteries can even migrate between different hubs,” he explains.
E-Mobility Sector Works on Accelerating Permits
During the virtual event, Holtrop revealed that, together with other stakeholders in the sector, they would meet to analyse the barriers and challenges in the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, especially concerning permits and authorisations.
“We are working on an interpretative guide – requested by the Market Unit – to make the acceleration of permit processing, which has already been approved in Spain through legislation, a reality,” he comments.
“We have already drafted an initial version. It should be approved as soon as possible,” he adds.
In this regard, a few days after the “Voice of eMobility Leaders” event, the Business Association for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (AEDIVE) held a meeting of the Regulatory Working Group, with the online attendance of more than 40 representatives from companies in the sector.
During this meeting, Holtrop presented an interpretative study on the application of the Responsible Declaration as a substitute for authorisations and licences, aiming to assist CPOs in deploying charging stations.
The purpose was to unify criteria and gather experiences and best practices to later pass this information to the public administration.
“This responsible declaration regime replaces all authorisations and licences in general, without being limited to any category of authority, whether local, regional, or state,” explained Holtrop during the session.
In person, Malena Munárriz Huarte, Location Acquisition Manager at Milence, and Pedro Antonio Pedrero Alcobendas, Electric Mobility Commercial Director at Foton Trucks Spain, also participated.
