The Somontano D.O.’s leading winery has installed a semi-fast electric vehicle charge point that will be free to use for employees, customers and wine tourists. The aim is to raise awareness of the need to embrace sustainable habits.
The Somontano D.O. already boasts a winery equipped with a charge point for electric vehicles. As from today, electric vehicles passing through the region will be able to stop off at Viñas del Vero, the Designation of Origin’s leading winery, and recharge their batteries.
Part of a programme of incentives to develop efficient, sustainable mobility titled ‘Moves’, run by the IDAE (Institute for Energy Saving and Diversification), the initiative represents a further step towards fulfilling the UN’s Sustainable Development Objectives. More specifically, objectives 7, “Accessible, non-polluting energy” and 11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”.
The facility includes 4 connectors, two type-2 and two type-1, that deliver a semi-fast charge at up to 22kwh (at an intensity of 16 A) that balances automatically. What this means is that the energy can be spread where two vehicles are charging simultaneously. Two cars or two motorbikes or bicycles can be plugged in at the same time. Thus a full charge can be delivered in just an hour, the time it takes a wine tourist to tour the winery, giving the vehicle a range of 255 km, the distance from the winery to Barcelona. A two-hour charge – the time a tour of both Viñas del Vero and Blecua takes – will enable a mid-range electric vehicle (with 2018 number plates) to drive 370 km, taking it to San Sebastián, Bilbao or almost to the edge of Madrid.
The power at the charging point comes from 4 photovoltaic arrays at the winery, ensuring that the charging creates zero emissions at the point of origin, a feature that very few set-ups offer. The facility also includes a hydrogen vehicle charging plaza, the result of the winery’s early commitment to sustainable mobility based on generating hydrogen from renewable energy. The development makes Viñas del Vero one of the few places in Spain that offers hydrogen and electric charging for vehicles, both from renewables.
The charging point can be viewed prior to use on the “Electromaps” app and will be open at the same time as the winery is open to visitors.
Viñas del Vero is grateful to Automóviles Serrano for its support with setting up the semi-fast electric vehicle charging point. Automóviles Serrano is a concessionaire of the Official Toyota and Kia Distributors Network and is the Spanish distributor for Varaneo and Tripl.
