News Article
ADIF And ISOFOTON-AFFIRMA To Commercialize Electric Vehicle Charging System In Spain And Abroad
ADIF's President Antonio González Marín and àngel Luis Serrano, President of ISOFOTON and AFFIRMA Engineering and Technology, have signed a three-year, non-exclusive commercialization agreement for domestic and international distribution of the Ferrolinera system.
The project aims to address the biggest obstacle to the adoption of electric vehicles: the lack of battery charging points. The Ferrolinera system will enable the installation of more than a thousand electric car battery charge points at ADIF train stations and logistics centers in Spain, which will harness solar photovoltaic energy as well as traction and brake energy from trains. ADIF and ISOFOTON also aim to expand outside of Spain by forming additional partnerships in countries such as China and Japan.
The system is based on technology developed by ADIF that recovers energy from train brake systems. The technology was developed as part of the company´s strategic innovation initiative, and is the first of its kind in the world. The photovoltaic energy will be generated by state-of-the-art solar modules manufactured by ISOFOTON at its Málaga facility. The modules will be located on parking lot roofs and an electrical storage system will distribute the energy using utility poles. At times when there is no sun or running trains, the system would access the grid through the substations that power ADIF´s electric train network.
"We are very much looking forward to joining forces with ADIF on this ambitious project, which will give us the opportunity to offer competitive, state-of-the-art Spanish technology abroad," said àngel Luis Serrano, president of ISOFOTON. "We will also take advantage of the excellent image our country has in the railway and photovoltaic sectors, in which we are at the forefront of technological development. ADIF and the ISOFOTON-AFFIRMA Group form a strong alliance as leaders in their respective sectors. By bringing our experience together to work on this opportune and innovative project, we are confident in our success."
The project will help drive the Spanish electric vehicle industry and improve environmental sustainability. Charge points will be installed along the 13,000-km Spanish railway network, which features 1,500 stations and other potential installation sites. The railway network stands to become the greatest network of electric vehicle recharge points in Spain.
The Ferrolinera project will also allow the development of a more optimized and intelligent system to manage train brake energy as a function of traffic and railway network electrical power. The project has received a 1,485,268 Euro grant from the Ministry of Science and Innovation's INNPACTO Program. The program aims to foster cooperation agreements among different entities to carry out R&D&i projects that will help drive innovative activities in Spain.
Other entities including Acisa, Andel, Windinertia, Green Power, ISOFOTON, the Andalusian Institute of Technology and the Universities of Seville, Málaga and Jaen are also participating in this project, which is lead by the Ministry of Public Works through Adif at ADIF's Málaga Railway Technology Center (CTF).
R&D&i at Adif
Among its strategic objectives, ADIF seeks increased cooperation among public and private entities in technological research, development and innovation activities within the framework of their potential priority business areas, as well as in R&D&i projects fostered by Spanish and European Union public administrations through the R&D&i Framework Program.
ADIF has created a Railway Research and Technology Center in Málaga and oversees the construction of specific testing and experimental installations (railway ring) as a complementary facility, to be used as a reference for developing R&D projects aimed at increasing the competitiveness of domestic companies. These initiatives seek to position Spanish railway transport at the European and global technological forefront.
