Moroccan Ministry Launches Made in Morocco Electric Car Charging Station
On December 21st, 2020 Morocco’s Minister of Industry, Trade, & Green-Digital Economy Moulay Hafid Elalamy presented the first 100% made Moroccan-smart charging station for electric vehicles. The presentation was made to the Director-General of Solar Energy and Renewable Energies Research Institute (IRESEN), Badr Ikken, at the ministry’s headquarters in Rabat.
“iSmart” is a new generation of intelligent electric car charging stations for professional and domestic use, was developed at the request of manufacturers in the automotive sector by Green Energy Park. It is a research platform jointly created by the Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). The project has the support of the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Energy, Mining and the Environment.
Elalamy considered the project as a new and innovative Moroccan technology. It is filled new shoes as part of electronic innovations that are beginning to have a lead role withni the automotive sector. Elalamy confirms, that this smart terminal is a highly technological product that meets the needs of Moroccans who own electric cars.
For years, Morocco has invested in the automotive sector which is in the process of transformation towards renewable energy, with electricity as a priority, stated the Industry Minister.
For his part, IRESEN Director-General, Badr Ikken informed the press that this is the first charging station for electric vehicles, developed, designed, and manufactured in Morocco.
Bader Ikken stated that assembly of the certified “iSmart” project will take place in Benguerir. It is slated to produce 5,000 smart-charging stations per year by 2022. The “iSmart” charging station will also have several advanced settings including a CO2 capture that provides information about pollution in specific regions. It willl be able to connect with 4G and display information and advertising. The project engineers have developed a platform that will allow the monitoring and management of the stations in each city, IRESEN chief said.
With powers ranging from 7.5 kW/22 kW/ to 50 kW, the station could charge a compact size vehicle in 30 minutes. “Its design is modular and can be integrated at wall level, fixed on legs, or integrated into the lamp posts. This initiative accompanies the decarbonization of the mobility sector and the industrial development of a new generation of electric vehicles, claimed Ikken.
Morocco also has potentia plans to adopt Moroccan, Rachid Yazami’s invention of new battery technology for charging electric cars. The invention is significantly more efficient than Vivo Energy Maroc’s rapid charging station for electric cars, which charges the car’s battery only 80% in one hour compared to Yazami’s battery that can charge the vehicle in less than 20 minutes.
Morocco also decided to use an adapted version of the “225 Citroen Ami” electric car specifically for Barid Al-Maghrib’s mail-parcel distribution network across Morocco. Moroccan postal service and international car manufacturer PSA Group signed an agreement to develop the 100% electric car in October.
Morocco’s continual involvement in the automotive sector with innovative projects can lead the country to be a leader in the automotive and green energy field.