ACCIONA Energía opens 42-bay mixed-power EV charging site in Badajoz

Woman connecting her car to an ACCIONA DC charger

The installation has 2 MW of contracted power and combines three charging levels to suit different types of visit. Four 240 kW chargers serve eight bays, ten 80 kW chargers cover 20 bays, and seven 22 kW units serve the remaining 14.

The charging equipment was supplied by Spanish manufacturer Circutor. Drivers can start and manage charging sessions through the ACCIONA Recarga app, while ad hoc charging is also available without registration, including direct card payment.

Three power tiers for different dwell times

The most notable feature of the site is not simply its size, but the way charging power has been distributed across the 42 bays.

Charger rating	Chargers	Bays served	Intended stay
240 kW	4	8	Short visits; stated charging time below 15 minutes where supported by the vehicle
80 kW	10	20	Typical shopping visit; stated charging time of around 30 to 60 minutes
22 kW	7	14	Longer stays; stated charging time of around two to four hours

The 80 kW chargers account for almost half of the available bays, making them the largest part of the installation. That appears well suited to a retail location, where vehicles are likely to remain parked for longer than they would at a motorway charging hub, but not necessarily for several hours.

Matching charger power to the location

Charging sites are often judged by their highest available output, but that figure does not always reflect how useful the site will be in practice. At a shopping centre, the amount of time drivers are likely to remain parked is just as important.

A driver making a short stop may benefit from one of the 240 kW chargers, provided the vehicle can accept that level of power. Someone visiting several shops, having a meal or spending longer at the centre may gain little from using the fastest charger throughout the visit.

The 80 kW and 22 kW bays provide alternatives that are better matched to those longer stays.

A mixed-power layout may also allow the available electrical capacity to be spread across more charging bays. Instead of concentrating most of the site’s power into a smaller number of high-output units, the installation can support a broader range of vehicles and visit patterns.

For this type of destination, the decision to make 80 kW charging the dominant tier may prove more useful than simply installing the highest available output at every bay.