French company Electra has announced its arrival in Spain, where it plans to open its first fast charging point for electric vehicles later this year. The French operator will start its roll-out in Madrid, and plans to expand its network throughout the country within four years. According to its roadmap, the company will thus reach 150 stations by 2027.

Work is currently underway on the first twenty charging points. The company already has fifteen employees in Spain who are experts in the local market. The planned investment to achieve these objectives over the next four years is 100 million euros.

Accelerating electrification
The lack of a sufficient network of charging points in Spain was one of the reasons that brought the company south of the Pyrenees. Although only 13% of vehicles sold worldwide are currently electric, and only 3% are in Spain, the creation of an extensive network of charging points is not only considered to be an incentive, but a necessity to be able to serve this market in the future.

Right now, Electra is industrialising its processes to help accelerate the electrification of the European car fleet. One of the tasks being carried out by the company's fifteen employees in Spain is to offer its charging stations to companies that own commercial properties, hotels, petrol stations, train stations and airports, as well as logistics fleets, car rental companies, taxis and VTCs.

A strategic partner
The French company already has the support of a strategic partner in Spain, the car park operator OnePark. Active in the Spanish market for seven years, OnePark is confident that it will be able to help Electra accelerate its implementation.

Electra's CEO, Aurélien de Meaux, said, “We are proud to continue our development in the Spanish market, a country where the potential of fast charging is still under-exploited. Our charging infrastructure will help facilitate the transition to electric vehicles due to the number of points available and their reliability. We also focus on simplicity to convince as many people as possible – the user experience is at the heart of our priorities!”

Present in six countries
Electra already has 557 active charging points, mostly in France but also in Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Many of them are located in major urban areas. The company's goal is to exceed 8,000 fast charging points by 2030. Many of the points have been installed thanks to major tenders, mainly to equip car parks run by large groups.

The company employs 160 high-level employees. In the past two years, it has raised 175 million euros and has secured several hundred million more from partners to fund its infrastructure.

^{Photo: Electra}